Leviticus 26
Only worship the LORDverses 1-2
You shall make you NO IDOLS nor GRAVEN IMAGE
neither rear you up a STANDING IMAGE
neither shall you set up any IMAGE OF STONE
in your land – to bow down unto it
FOR I am the LORD your God
You shall keep MY Sabbaths and reverence MY sanctuary
I am the LORD your God
Obedience brings rainverses 3-5
IF you walk in MY statutes – and keep MY commandments
and do them
THEN I will give you RAIN in due season
and the land shall yield her increase
and the trees of the field shall yield her fruit
And your threshing shall reach to the vintage
and the vintage shall reach to the sowing time
and you shall eat your bread to the FULL
and dwell in your land SAFELY
Obedience brings peaceverses 6-8
And I will give PEACE in the land
and you shall lie down – and none shall make you afraid
and I will rid evil beasts out of the land
neither shall the sword go through your land
And you shall chase your enemies
and they shall fall before you by the sword
and five of you shall chase an hundred
and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight
and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword
Obedience brings presence of Godverses 9-13
FOR I will have RESPECT to you – and make you fruitful
and multiply you – and establish MY COVENANT with you
and you shall eat old store
and bring forth the old because of the new
And I will set MY tabernacle among you
and MY soul shall not abhor you
And I will WALK among you – and will be your God
and you shall be MY people
I am the LORD your God
which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt
that you should not be their bondmen
and I have broken the bands of your yoke
and made you go UPRIGHT
Disobedience brings punishmentverses 14-17
BUT IF you will NOT HEARKEN to ME
and will not do all these commandments
And IF you shall despise MY statutes
or IF your soul abhor MY judgments
so that you will not do all MY commandments
BUT that you break MY covenant
I also will do this to you
I will even appoint over you terror – consumption – burning ague
that shall consume the eyes – and cause sorrow of heart
and you shall sow your seed in vain
FOR your enemies shall eat it
I will set MY FACE against you
and you shall be slain before your enemies
they that hate you shall reign over you
and you shall flee when NONE pursues you
More disobedience brings more punishmentverses 18-26
IF you will not yet for all this hearken to ME
THEN I will punish you seven times more for your sins
And I will break the PRIDE of your power
and I will make your heaven as iron – and your earth as brass
and your strength shall be spent in vain
for your land shall not yield her increase
neither shall the trees of the land
yield their fruit
IF you WALK contrary to ME – AND will NOT HEARKEN to ME
I will bring seven times more PLAGUES upon you
according to your sins
I will also send wild beasts among you
which shall rob you of your children
and destroy your cattle – and make you few in number
and your high ways shall be desolate
IF you will NOT BE REFORMED by ME by these things
BUT will WALK contrary to ME
THEN will I also WALK contrary to you
and will punish you yet seven times for your sins
And I will bring a sword on you
that shall avenge the quarrel of MY covenant
and when you are gathered together within your cities
I will send the pestilence among you
and you shall be delivered into the
hand of the enemy
And when I have broken the staff of your bread
ten women shall bake your bread in one oven
and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight
and you shall eat – and NOT be SATISFIED
Final judgment is captivityverses 27-35
IF you will not for all this HEARKEN to ME
BUT WALK contrary to ME
THEN I will WALK contrary to you also in FURY
and I – even I
will CHASTISE you seven times for your sins
And you shall eat the flesh of your sons
and the flesh of your daughters shall you eat
And I will destroy your high places – and cut down your images
and cast your carcasses upon the carcasses of your idols
and MY soul shall ABHOR you
And I will make your cities waste
and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation
and I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors
and I will bring the land into desolation
and your enemies which dwell therein
shall be astonished at it
And I will scatter you among the heathen
and will draw out a sword after you
and your land shall be desolate
and your cities waste
THEN shall the land enjoy her Sabbaths
as long as it lies desolate – and you be in your enemies’ land
even THEN shall the land rest – and enjoy her Sabbaths
As long as it lies desolate it shall rest
BECAUSE it did NOT REST in your Sabbaths
when you dwelt upon it
More disobedience means living life in fearverses 36-39
And on them that are left alive of you I will send
a FAINTNESS into their hearts in the lands of their enemies
And the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them
and they shall flee – as fleeing from a sword
and they shall fall when NONE pursues
And they shall fall one upon another – as it were before a sword
when NONE PURSUES – and you shall have NO POWER
to stand before your enemies
And you shall PERISH among the heathen
and the land of your enemies shall eat you up
And they that are left of you shall PINE AWAY in their iniquity
in your enemies’ land – and also in the iniquities of their
fathers shall they PINE AWAY with them
Children of Israel will be humbledverses 40-43
IF they shall CONFESS their iniquity – and the iniquity of their fathers
with their TRESPASS which they trespassed against ME
and that also they have WALKED contrary to ME
And that I also have WALKED contrary to them
and have brought them into the land of their enemies
IF THEN their uncircumcised HEARTS be HUMBLED
and they accept of the punishment of their iniquity
THEN will I remember MY COVENANT with Jacob
and also MY covenant with Isaac
and also MY covenant with Abraham
will I remember
And I will remember the land
the land also shall be left of them – and shall enjoy her Sabbaths
while she lies desolate without them
and they shall accept the punishment of their iniquity
BECAUSE – even BECAUSE they despised
MY judgments
and BECAUSE their soul abhorred MY statutes
God promises to not utterly reject Israelverses 44-45
YET for all that – when they be in the land of their enemies
I will not cast them away – neither will I abhor them to
destroy them utterly – and break MY covenant with them
FOR I am the LORD their God
BUT I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors
whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the
sight of the heathen – that I might be their God
I am the LORD
Instructions given to Moses on Mount Sinaiverse 46
THESE are the statutes and judgments and laws
which the LORD made between him
and the children of Israel in mount Sinai
by the hand of Moses
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 13 I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright. (5650 “bondmen” [‘ebed] means servant, slave, a person who is legally owned by someone else and whose entire livelihood and purpose was determined by their master, or subordinate)
DEVOTION: The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for about four hundred years. Ever since Joseph died there came a Pharaoh who didn’t honor what Joseph had done for Egypt. Remember Joseph had saved the people of Egypt from a famine that cost the people everything they owned. It all went to the government of Egypt.
Now God had raised up Moses to lead them out of Egypt to a land that HE had promised Abraham. They were leaving Egypt with wealth that they had “borrowed” from the Egyptians. They were leaving Egypt as a nation of millions. They were being led by a cloud or fire. They were under the care of the LORD.
One of the reasons the LORD brought them out of Egypt was because slaves couldn’t lift their heads high in front of their masters. They had to bow. Now things are different if the children of Israel are obedient to the LORD.
The LORD told them that once they followed HIS instructions HE would bless them and they could hold their heads up high. Not in pride but in the knowledge that they didn’t have to worry about any enemies with the LORD on their side in each battle.
We can do the same today. Christians are under pressure to give in to the world system and adopt a lifestyle that is displeasing to the LORD. HE values the life of a little baby in the womb. HE values men marrying women and staying together for the rest of their life. HE values honesty.
The world wants Christians to be tolerate at their belief system but when it comes to Christians wanting them to be tolerate of their belief system they accuse them of being intolerant. It doesn’t seem to work both ways for them. We have to give in to them but they don’t want to even hear us.
CHALLENGE: Remember God honors us for staying with HIS standards. It will not be easy at times but the LORD will honor us with HIS blessings.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 14 But if you will not hearken to me, and will not do all these commandments (8085 “hearken” [shama] means hear, obey, pay attention, understand, heed, declare, witness, yield or listen)
DEVOTION: Three times Moses mentions the fact that the children of Israel were not listening to the LORD. HE was speaking to them in person. HE was speaking to them through Moses. HE was speaking to them through Aaron. HE was speaking to them through the priests. HE was speaking to them through circumstances.
They were not listening. Their external ears were closed. Their internal ears were not hearing. God was trying to get their attention. HE wants those who are HIS followers to listen when HE speaks the first time.
We had children who for the most part listened the first time. It was better with our oldest and then it went down with our youngest because we ran out of energy. All of them listened most of the time.
God never wears down. HE is longsuffering with us. HE is more longsuffering than most parents with their children. HE commands were not burdensome. They were practical and helpful for survival in our world.
Along came the Pharisees who made the Jewish a religion rather than a relationship. They made more rules than God set down and were causing individuals to spend eternity in hell because they looked at the rules of the Pharisees and the lives of the Pharisees and didn’t want anything to do with it.
That has happened today as well. We have churches that are very legalistic. They have more rules than the LORD laid down for us. However there is the other extreme as well which is license which try to say there are no rules just live as you please. The LORD is in the middle between these two groups.
HE has given us the liberty to serve HIM within HIS standard. Remember all of HIS standards are given because HE loved us not to be mean or demanding. People can make HIS standards mean and demanding but that is not what HE established the church to be.
CHALLENGE: Listening is a lost art. Sit down with the Word of God and let it speak to you. Give it your time and attention.
: 19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass. (1347 “pride” [ga’own] means exaltation, loftiness, splendor, majesty, or arrogance)
DEVOTION: God is in the business of training HIS children. HE wants HIS children to know the rules of HIS kingdom. HE wants them to know the rules of HIS land. HE wants them to know the rules of HIS world. HE leaves nothing to misunderstanding. HE explains to Moses what HE expects and the consequences of disobedience. There are no IFS, ANDS or BUTS in HIS world.
When the children of Israel OBEY HIM they have certain promises. Promise one is that HE will send RAIN. This will enable them to eat their bread to their full.
Promise two is that they will have peace in their land. They will not be afraid. They will not have to be afraid of the animals or of invasion of an enemy. In fact, they will chase their enemies with small numbers against large numbers.
The third promise is that HE will respect them. HE will make them fruitful. HE will multiply them. HE will establish HIS covenant with them. The fourth promise is that HE will dwell among them. HE will walk among them.
However, the children of Israel were warned in the wilderness that if they didn’t honor the LORD they would be judged. The LORD let them know ahead of time that there would be a temptation to think that they had produced all their increase of harvest. There would be the temptation that the gods of the land had helped them produce a good harvest. God wanted them to acknowledge HIM alone.
If they choose to do something different, then there would be judgment for their arrogance. The one thing that farmers need is rain. God said that if they were disobedient HE would stop the rain for the crops. HE also said that the earth would not produce a good crop. They thought in their disobedience that they didn’t need God because the rain and the crops kept coming. Then the crops stopped. There was no rain.
Next there would be plagues in the land. There would be terror, consumption and burning ague.
Their enemies would come and slay them first. They would reign over them. They would flee when no one was chasing them.
Finally, they would be taken out of the land. The land would be desolate. Their disobedience had caused this to happen to them. One rule that the LORD set down was that every seven years the land was to have rest from a planting and harvest. If the people didn’t obey this rule, God would give the land rest HIS way.
After stating HIS way to blessing and HIS way to cursing, HE promised that if they would confess their sins and accept HIS punishment, HE would remember HIS covenant with their fathers. HE could restore them to the land. Confession of sin is important for restoration of fellowship with the LORD.
We need to learn from this chapter that the LORD honors those who worship HIM properly. Those who worship properly will be blessed. What is included in proper worship? The New Testament informs us that we need to continue steadfast in the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer.
This gives us an outline of what it means to worship the LORD. Are we worshiping the LORD in spirit and in truth when we enter a church each Sunday? Are we giving of our income the way we should? Are we encouraging one another? Do we love one another? Are we giving meat from the Word of God from the pulpit or just entertainment? Remember God expects proper worship from US!!!
CHALLENGE: Do we have the impression that God doesn’t tell us the definition of OBEDIENCE? It is the wrong impression!!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 41 And that I also have walked contrary to them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity. (3665 “humbled” [kana] means to have to submit, to be caused to be unpretentious, be subdued, cause humility, subdue, or cause silence)
DEVOTION: We live in a world of uncircumcised hearts. Remember the children of Israel had to have the males circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. It was a sign of the covenant between the LORD and Abraham and his descendants.
If a male child was born and he was not circumcised he was not part of the covenant the LORD made with Abraham. This continued through Isaac and Jacob who was renamed Israel.
Now the LORD knows that the children of Israel were following HIM externally but not internally at times. HE wanted the children of Israel to follow HIM internally first and then externally not the other way around.
Today we have many people who look like Christians on the outside but when they get home it is another story. Also their external Christianity might show up when they are doing business dealings with others. Or when they are at a party where things are served that could cause them to lose their control over themselves.
God wanted the Israelites to be internal believers first just likes HE wants us to be internal believers and then show it on the outside. HE doesn’t want us to keep quiet about our faith but HE does want people to notice that we are different in a good sense before we witness to them about what is happening on our inside.
CHALLENGE: We need to be both an internal believer who manifests a humble attitude toward the world but who will also speak about the LORD without fear of an inconsistent lifestyle.
:45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the Lord. (1471 “heathen” [gowy] means 1 nation, people. 1a nation, people. 1a1 usually of non-Hebrew people. 1a2 of descendants of Abraham. 1a3 of Israel. 1b of swarm of locusts, other animals (fig.). 1c Goyim? = “nations”. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: God’s plan was to use the children of Israel as a demonstration project to the peoples of the world. The word “heathen” is the same word as is used to refer to all the non-Jewish peoples who surrounded the children of Israel. This reminder of His covenant referred to the promise that He had made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3. His fulfillment of this demonstration project began with the plagues in Egypt, and was followed by their exodus from Egypt into the Promised Land. Here, on the way to the Promised Land, God reminds them that their inheritance of it is based on His prior covenant with their ancestors and the expectation that the LORD would be their one and only God.
One of the problems with believers in our culture today is that it is difficult (if not impossible) to distinguish them from unbelievers. When you survey the problems in the typical church, you find that people inside the church are not acting much differently from those outside of the church. Why is it that we do not live an evangelistic lifestyle that sets us apart from the world around us? Part of the problem is that we do not live as though we are enroute to a Promised Land which is yet ahead of us. There are also many gods competing for our attention these days, and we need to recall that we should be worshipping the one and only true God.
What we also observe in this passage is that our actions create the legacy which will influence our children and their children in terms of how to walk and live life. We should remember that if we cannot come up with any better reason to live for Christ, it is for the sake of those who follow us.
CHALLENGE: Do you have a concern for the heathen nations? Spend time with God today asking Him what He wants you to do about sharing the Gospel. (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
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)
Sabbathsverses 2, 34, 43
Reverence MY sanctuaryverse 2
Tabernacleverse 11
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Statutesverses 3, 15, 43, 46
Commandmentsverses 3, 14, 15
Judgmentsverses 15, 43, 46
Isaacverse 42
Abrahamverse 42
Covenant verse 44
Lawsverse 46
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 2, 13, 44-46
God (Elohim)verses 1, 12, 13, 44, 45
LORD your Godverses 1, 13
I am verses 1, 2, 13, 44, 45
I am the LORDverses 2, 45
I will give you rainverse 4
I will give peaceverse 6
I will rid evil beasts out of the landverse 6
I will make you fruitful and multiplyverse 9
I will establish MY covenant verse 9
MY soul shall not abhor Israelverse 11
I will walk among youverse 12
I am the LORD your Godverse 13
Judgment of LORDverses 14-46
Chastiseverse 28
Remember MY covenantverse 42
I will remember the landverse 42
I am LORD their God verse 44
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Enemiesverses 7, 8, 16, 17, 25, 32, 34, 36-41, 43
Land of Egyptverses 13, 45
Heathenverses 33, 38, 45
Jacobverse 42
Isaacverse 42
Abrahamverse 42
Mount Sinaiverse 46
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Idols or graven imageverses 1, 30
Image of stoneverse 1
Worship false godsverses 1, 30
Not keeping the sabbathverse 2
Not listening to Godverses 14, 18, 21, 27
Not keep commandmentsverses 14, 15
Despise statutesverses 15, 43
Abhor judgments of Godverse 15
Break covenantverses 15, 44
Hateverse 17
Sinsverses 18, 21, 24, 28
Prideverse 19
Walk contrary to the LORDverses 21, 23, 24, 27, 28, 40, 41
Iniquityverse 39-41, 43
Trespassverse 40
Uncircumcised heartsverse 41
Punishment of their iniquityverse 43
Despised judgmentsverse 43
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Sabbath keepingverse 2
Reverence God’s sanctuaryverse 2
Walk in statutesverse 3
Keep commandmentsverse 3
Gift from God: rainverse 4
Gift of God: land yield increaseverse 4
Gift of God: trees yield fruitverse 4
Gift of God: bread to the fullverse 5
Gift of God: safetyverses 5, 6
Gift of God: Peaceverses 6-8
Gift of God: no fearverse 6
Respectverse 9
Make fruitfulverse 9
Covenantverses 9, 25, 42, 45
Tabernacleverse 11
Presence of Godverse 12
Uprightverse 13
Reformedverse 23
Satisfiedverse 26
Confessverse 40
Humbleverse 41
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Disobedience: Appoint verse 16
terror
consumption
burning ague
sorrow of heart
God set face against Israelverse 17
Judge prideverse 19
Heaven as iron
Land will not yield crop
Trees will not yield fruit
Wild beasts will take childrenverse 22
Destroy cattle
Bring a sword againstverse 25
Pestilence
Not be satisfiedverse 26
Cannibalism verse 29
Captivityverse 33
Land will have its Sabbathsverses 35, 43
Faintness of heartverse 36
afraid when a leaf shakes
No power to stand before enemyverse 37
Children of Israelverse 46
Hand of Mosesverse 46
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
“Will keep my covenant” (v.9) is literally “will cause to rise up [hēqîm] my covenant.” It is probably legal language. There has been much study in recent years on the concept of a covenant in antiquity (see Introduction, pp. 516–18). In any case, the covenant referred to in the present verse is probably the covenant God made with Israel on Mount Sinai. Verses 1–2 refer to prominent parts of that covenant. However, this chapter should not be pressed into a covenant-treaty mold. There is no historical prelude. The commands or “stipulations” are very brief if they can be found at all. The copies are not specified, as is usual in treaties, etc. The chapter is a logical presentation of the consequences of obedience or disobedience to God’s law. (Harris, R. L. (1990). Leviticus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 643). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
If Israel obeyed His law, God promised to multiply their population (Lev. 26:9). Unlike some today who abort babies and frown upon large families, the Jews wanted many children and considered large families a blessing from God (Gen. 17:6; Deut. 7:13–14; Pss. 127–128). New generations were needed to maintain the economy, to help sustain the clans and tribes, and to protect the nation. A decimated population was a judgment from the Lord. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (p. 138). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
26:9 make you fruitful and multiply you … confirm My covenant with you. What God commanded at Creation and repeated after the Flood was contained in the covenant promise of seed (Ge 12:1–3), which He will fulfill to the nation of Israel as promised to Abraham (Ge 15:5, 6). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Le 26:9). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Ver. 9. For I will have respect unto you, &c.] Look at them with delight and pleasure, and with a careful eye on them, watch over them to do them good, and protect them from all evil; or turn himself to them from all others, having a particular regard for them and special care of them: and make you fruitful and multiply you; increase their number, as he did in Egypt, even amidst all their afflictions; and much more might they expect this blessing in the land of Canaan, when settled there, which is the original blessing of mankind, see Gen. 1:28 and 9:1 and establish my covenant with you; not the new covenant spoken of in Jer. 31:31 as Jarchi and other Jewish writers suggest; for that was not to take place but in future time, under the Gospel dispensation; but rather the covenant made with them at Sinai, though perhaps it chiefly respects the covenant made with their ancestors concerning multiplication of their seed as the stars of heaven and the sand of the sea, Gen. 15:5 and 22:17 since it follows upon the promise of an increase of them. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 693). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
This important chapter closes with a promise of restoration. Confession of sin, acknowledgment of their guilt, humiliation and deep sorrow for their iniquity opens the way to this restoration. It will at once be seen that this connects again with the day of atonement. It is the year of Jubilee. Then Jehovah remembers His covenant and remembers the land (verse 42). To this future repentance of the remnant of Israel and their re-gathering, the restoration of the land to the people and the people to the land, the entire prophetic Word bears witness. (Gaebelein, A. C. (2009). The Annotated Bible: Genesis to Deuteronomy. (Vol. 1, p. 276). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
LOVING THE BRETHREN
He that loveth his brother abideth in the light. 1 John 2:10
As Christians look at their fellow men and women, they see people exactly like themselves before their eyes were opened, and now they are sorry for them. They begin to love hateful persons instead of hating them. They say, “We are all in the same position,” and they begin to have an eye of compassion for them. Their knowledge of the love of God in Christ makes them love other people even as they have been loved themselves. They are new men and women with a new outlook; they are in a new realm. They feel the love of God in their heart, and they want to love Him and glorify Him, and they know they can glorify God most of all by being new men and women, by living as Christ lived and thereby showing and proving that they are indeed true disciples.
Christ our Lord put this perfectly once in the parable of the man who was a servant and was in trouble. He went to his lord and pleaded for forgiveness, and that lord forgave him. But there was another man who was a servant under the first servant who came to him and made exactly the same plea, but the forgiven servant took the other by the throat and said, “No, I won’t let you off—you have to pay to the last farthing.” Well, said our Lord (Matthew 18:23-35), that man must not think he has been forgiven, for the man who does not forgive will not be forgiven.
What this means is that you and I can only be happy about the fact that we are Christians if we find this loving, forgiving spirit within ourselves. It is idle for us to say that we know God has forgiven us if we ourselves are not loving and forgiving. People who say they are in the light but who hate and do not forgive their brother are in darkness even now.
A Thought to Ponder: It is idle for us to say that we know that God has forgiven us if we ourselves are not loving and forgiving.
(From Walking with God, pp. 64-65, Dr. Martyn Lloyd – Jones)
1 Corinthians 7
Paul instructs the Corinthians concerning marriage, divorce, and singleness.
INSIGHT
Within the bonds of marriage, spiritual, emotional, and physical dimensions exist. The relationship should be established by a spiritual bond out of which flow emotional and physical bonds. When this order is properly maintained, the relationship is balanced and satisfying. However, many marriages take the opposite direction. Out of physical attraction grow emotional bonds, and spiritual bonds may or may not follow. Strive to strengthen the spiritual bonds in your relationships in order to keep them healthy and balanced. Even in a marriage where one partner is unsaved, the relationship will be stronger and more satisfying if your spouse sees the reality of your spiritual life and love for Jesus Christ. (Quiet Walk)
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Lessons from Colossians
“To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Colossians 1:2)
Paul’s letter to the church in Colossae is especially instructive to those who would seek a close relationship with the Lord Jesus.
Chapter 1 provides a breathtaking summary of the purpose for which we are saved and the eternal changes that take place at salvation: “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight” (Colossians 1:21-22).
Chapter 2 provides clear warnings about the spiritual battle that is taking place and precise insights on gaining victory over the world: “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7).
Chapter 3 insists that our responsibility is to take advantage of what has been provided by Christ and to live as Christ-ians: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).
Chapter 4 gives practical instructions for our day-to-day relationships through the lives of the godly people who worked with Paul: “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:5-6).
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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