PSALM 119 Aleph
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Blessed people obey the LORD verse 1- 2
Blessed are the undefiled in the way
who walk in the law of the LORD
Blessed are they that keep HIS TESTIMONIES
and that seek HIM with the whole heart
Blessed people don’t walk in sin verse 3
They also do no iniquity
they walk in HIS ways
Blessed people listen to the LORD verse 4- 5
YOU have commanded us to keep YOUR PRECEPTS diligently
O that my ways were directed to keep YOUR STATUTES
Blessed people respect the LORD verse 6
THEN shall I not be ashamed
WHEN I have respect unto all YOUR COMMANDMENTS
Blessed people communicate with the LORD verse 7- 8
I will praise YOU with uprightness of heart
WHEN I shall have learned YOUR righteous JUDGMENTS
I will keep YOUR STATUTES – O forsake me not utterly
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
(8549 “undefiled” [tamiym] means entire, integrity, truth, without blemish, complete, full, perfect, sincerely, sound, without spot, upright, or whole.
DEVOTION: We start this acrostic psalm with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and each part of this psalm begins with a different letter of the alphabet. The whole 119 psalm is dedicated to obedience to the Law of the LORD. For the next twenty- one days we will cover this longest Psalm in the Bible.
The person who is walking in the law of the LORD is considered complete or mature. He is someone who is walking after the LORD with his whole heart.
Does this imply sinlessness? The rest of the Bible instructs us that even after we become a follower of Christ, we still need to confess our sins for proper fellowship with the LORD. We can sin less but never be sinless in our earthly existence. Only Christ was sinless while walking on this earth. The Psalmist is one who keeps short accounts with God. His walk is consistent.
Can this be done? Christ gave us an example. The psalmist tells us that the one who is blessed seeks the LORD with his whole heart. Each of the five words used for the law of the LORD are defined below. Each gives us a different perspective of the law.
Review the five words and we will try to continue to define them better as we continue in this psalm. Let us seek to walk in HIS ways. With the LORD’S help- we can walk properly.
Are we trying? Never give up!!! Remember our salvation is confirmed in Christ but our fellowship with the LORD is a constant daily walk with the LORD. There are two ways that we can walk, either toward the LORD or away. When we walk away HE sends chastening to HIS children to bring them back.
The psalmist asks the LORD not to forsake him utterly. He understands that close fellowship with the LORD is important. He doesn’t want weakness, sickness or pre-mature death to be a part of his life.
CHALLENGE: Study the works that are used regarding the commands of the LORD. Remember that some are just for the children of Israel but some are for us even today. Obey the LORD. Walk in HIS commands. Communicate with HIM regularly.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 Blessed are they that keep HIS testimonies, and that seek HIM with the whole heart. (835 “Blessed” [‘esher] means happy, characterized by happiness and being highly favored (as by divine grace, fortunate, or a heightened state of joy)
DEVOTION: When our children do something that pleases us we usually give them praise which puts a smile on their face. They like to hear good things from their parents because a lot of times the parents are telling them what they have done wrong. It shouldn’t be that way but it seems that it is easier to tell others what they do wrong than to praise them when they do right.
God wants us to know that HE blesses us for doing what HE has commanded us to do. These blessings come in different forms but we know when we are blessed of the LORD. Too often we forget to do the things that HE wants us to do and so HE has to chasten us which in no fun.
The Psalmist wants us to know that we are to seek to please the LORD with our whole heart. That takes a lot of work. It takes prayer each day to ask HIM for help to live a life that is pleasing to HIM.
HE still blesses today and we need to understand that HE wants to bless us. So our goal each day is to act as HE would have us act and help those who need our help to live a life that is pleasing to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Do your days start and end with the feeling of blessing from the LORD for what you have done for HIM today? Can we do a better job of pleasing HIM? The answer of coarse is YES!
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: 5 “Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes!” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). Directed – 3559 כּוּן, נָכֹון, נָכֹון [kuwn /koon/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 964; GK 3922 and 5787 and 5788; 219 occurrences; AV translates as “prepare” 85 times, “establish” 58 times, “ready” 17 times, “stablish” five times, “provide” five times, “right” five times, “fixed” four times, “set” four times, “direct” three times, “order” three times, “fashion” three times, “variant” twice, “certain” twice, “confirmed” twice, “firm” twice, “preparation” twice, and translated miscellaneously 17 times. 1 to be firm, be stable, be established. 1A (Niphal). 1A1 to be set up, be established, be fixed. 1A1A to be firmly established. 1A1B to be established, be stable, be secure, be enduring. 1A1C to be fixed, be securely determined. 1A2 to be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast (moral sense). 1A3 to prepare, be ready. 1A4 to be prepared, be arranged, be settled. 1B (Hiphil). 1B1 to establish, set up, accomplish, do, make firm. 1B2 to fix, make ready, prepare, provide, provide for, furnish. 1B3 to direct toward (moral sense). 1B4 to arrange, order. 1C (Hophal). 1C1 to be established, be fastened. 1C2 to be prepared, be ready. 1D (Polel). 1D1 to set up, establish. 1D2 to constitute, make. 1D3 to fix. 1D4 to direct. 1E (Pulal) to be established, be prepared. 1F (Hithpolel) to be established, be restored. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: It is so easy to wander! When I was younger and my father was still alive we would always be alert because as he drove he would tend to wander! Where he was looking was often where the car would begin to drift toward. Now most of the time it was not a problem but occasionally we would have to remind him to stay on the road. It seems I can be that way when it comes to following the Lord as well. As I get focused on a task or something in my direct line of vision I tend to drift and that issue or item makes me forget my main task of following Jesus.
I need the Lord to remind me that I need to have my eyes fixed or determined upon the Lord Jesus to maintain a proper walk in life.
CHALLENGE: May we stay focused on the way of the Lord each day we live! (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all YOUR commandments. (954 “ashamed” [buwsh] means to be or become characterized by feelings of shame, guilt, embarrassment or remorse, humiliated, confounded, confusion, or disconcerted)
DEVOTION: God has set a standard for the children of Israel to live by when HE gave them the Ten Commandments. This was the law to them. If they obeyed the LAW they would be blessed. If they disobeyed the LORD, they would suffer judgment.
They knew the standard but the majority of the time they were living as if that was not their standard. God would have to judge them and they would get back on tract and then it would repeat itself.
We have the same problem today. God has given believers a standard to live by in the New Testament and a majority struggle each day to follow HIS commands. Each of us struggle in different areas but the standard is the same. HE wants obedience.
When there is a time of confession and forgiveness by the children of Israel, they would bring a sacrifice to the place of worship and the priests would offer it to the LORD and the one offering the sacrifice would be forgiven and go home to try to live according the commands of the LORD.
Respecting the Ten Commandments was the standard of the Old Testament. Today we have the New Testament standard which includes the commands but must more as we try to reach people for Christ.
We should not be feeling guilt or embarrassed as we witness about Jesus to others. Their eternal future is in our hands and the LORD will bless us if we witness to them with the truth of the Gospel.
CHALLENGE: EVERY believer is supposed to be a witness for the LORD. Each day HE gives us an opportunity to tell others.
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: 7 I will praise YOU with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned YOUR righteous judgments. (3925 “learned” [lamad] means teach, instruct, to gain knowledge or skill, or exercise in.)
DEVOTION: We are in God’s school for the rest of lives once we become a follower of HIM. HE is always teaching us something about HIMSELF or our world. HE has given us an instruction book called the BIBLE. We are to be daily learning lessons from this BOOK if we are to grow spiritually.
The Psalmist understands this principle of life in the life of a believer. We have to know what the LORD expects of us, in order that, we can serve HIM properly. HE declares us upright because of what Christ did on the cross for us.
Too often we try to run ahead of the LORD and this causes us not to learn the way HE intended us to gain knowledge. There are some who think they have arrived at the top of the class because they think there is no more to be taught by the LORD.
One lesson we need to practice every day is to praise HIM for all that HE has done for us. If we are not praising HIM regularly, we are not serving HIM properly.
CHALLENGE: We are never to think that we have arrived when we are taking lessons from the LORD. HE is not done with us until we are in heaven!!!_________________________________
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Undefiled verse 1
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)
Prayer of commitment verse 7, 8
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Praise verse 7
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Law of the LORD verse 1- 8
Testimonies (5715) – written copy on stone verse 2
Standard of conduct
Commandments (4687) –authoritative directive verse 4
Precepts (6490) – directions, regulations verse 4
Statutes (2706)- generally accepted behavior verse 5, 8
Judgments (4941) –act of deciding a case verse 7
–binding law
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1
HIS ways verse 3
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)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Iniquity verse 3
Ashamed verse 6
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Blessed verse 1, 2
Undefiled verse 1
Walk properly verse 1, 3
Keep the testimonies verse 2
Seek the LORD with whole heart verse 2
Keep the precepts verse 4
Direct our steps toward obedience verse 5
Keep the statutes verse 5, 8
Not ashamed verse 6
Respect the commandments verse 6
Praise verse 7
Uprightness of heart verse 7
Learn righteous judgments verse 7
Not forsaken verse 8
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
7. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments
The righteous judgments of God include the whole revelation of his word—so called—as the rule by which he judges our present state, and will pronounce our final sentence.10 David’s attainments here seemed to be as nothing. So much remained unlearned and unknown, that he could only anticipate the time, when he should have learned them. “Thy commandment”—he exclaims—“is exceeding broad.” When the Apostle, after twenty years’ acquaintance with the gospel, expressed it as the one desire of his heart—“That I may know Christ”—evidently he entertained the same humbling views of his high attainments, and the same exalted apprehensions of the value of treasures yet unexplored, and progressively opening before him. Thus the wisest saints are only students in the Divine School. Yet whatever their learning be, it casts them into the mould and spirit of their doctrine. Conceit however of knowledge is the greatest enemy to knowledge, and the strongest proof of ignorance; so that, “if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.”—“He deceiveth himself.”3
But what is the motive, that enlivens the believer in this holy learning? Is it that he may live upon the airy breath of human applause? No, rather that he may “praise his God with uprightness of heart.” When our mind is dark, our lips are sealed. But when “he opens our understandings” to “learn his judgments,” he will next “open our lips, and our mouths shall show forth his praise.” And this indeed is the end, for which “his people are formed;”5 for which they “are called out of darkness into marvellous light.” This is the daily frame, in which our God will be glorified.7 Yet must we live as well as sing his praise. “The praise of the upright heart will be shown in the holy walk and conversation.”
But let us watch, that our praise really flows “out of the abundance” of what our hearts have “learned” of his “righteous judgments.” For do we not sometimes speak of our Saviour with a secret lurking after self-exaltation? May we not really be seeking and serving ourselves in the very act of seeming to serve and honor him? Surely the very thought of the selfishness that defiles our holiest earthly praise, may well quicken our longings after that world of praise, where the flame burns active, bright, incessant; where we shall offer our sacrifices without defilement, without intermission, without weariness, without end. (Bridges, C. (1861). Exposition of Psalm 119: As Illustrative of the Character and Exercises of Christian Experience (Seventeenth Edition., pp. 16–17). New York: Robert Carter & Brothers.)
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7. Word or words. There are two terms, quite distinct in the Hebrew, but both rendered word. To maintain the distinction between these words some translators for one have word, and for the other saying. The first of these occurs in this Psalm twenty-four times between vv. 9–169; in Ps. 19:3, rendered language. The corresponding verb is rendered talk, speak, say, tell, promise, declare, pronounce, commune. It comprehends every kind of word that is spoken. The other term rendered word in this Psalm occurs nineteen times between vv. 11–172; in Gen. 4:23; Deut. 32:2; Ps. 17:6, speech, in the sense of words uttered. In this Psalm the rendering is uniform, but in Ps. 147:15, it is rendered commandment. These two words are never found in the same verse of this Psalm. Nor is it possible to define or preserve the distinction between them, though Jebb is confident that “they are not synonymous.” They are at least parallel, and are used in the same general sense, and with the same application. Pool: “The Scripture is called God’s word, as it proceeds from his mouth, and is revealed by him to us.” Dickson: “The word signifieth God’s expounding his mind to us, as if he were speaking to us.” Henry: “The Scripture is called God’s word or saying, because it is the declaration of his mind, and Christ, the essential Eternal Word, is all in all in it.” Clarke: “In the revelation God speaks to man; shows him in a clear, concise, intelligible, and rational way, his interest, his duty, his privileges, and, in a word, the reasonable service he requires of him.” (Plumer, W. S. (1872). Studies in the Book of Psalms: Being a Critical and Expository Commentary, with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks on the Entire Psalter (p. 1021). Philadelphia; Edinburgh: J. B. Lippincott Company; A & C Black.)
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7. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart. With an upright and sincere heart.
When I shall have learned. Heb., “In my learning.” In the practice or act of learning them. His own experience of their nature, influence, and value would lead him to sincere praise. He had no doubt of finding that they were worthy of his praises, and of seeing in them more and more occasion to glorify and honour God. The more we know of God, the more shall we see in him to praise. The larger our acquaintance and experience, the more our hearts will be disposed to magnify his name. This remark must extend to all that there is in God to be learned; and as that is infinite, so there will be occasion for renewed and more elevated praise to all eternity.
Thy righteous judgments. Marg., as in Heb., Judgments of thy righteousness. The laws or statutes which God, as a righteous or just God, appoints to be the rule of conduct to his creatures. (Barnes, A. (1870–1872). Notes on the Old Testament: Psalms (Vol. 3, pp. 179–180). London: Blackie & Son.)
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7. “I will praise thee.” From prayer to praise is never a long or a difficult journey. Be sure that he who prays for holiness will one day praise for happiness. Shame having vanished, silence is broken, and the formerly silent man declares, “I will praise thee.” He cannot but promise praise while he seeks sanctification. Mark how well he knows upon what head to set the crown. “I will praise thee.” He would himself be praiseworthy, but he counts God alone worthy of praise. By the sorrow and shame of sin he measures his obligations to the Lord who would teach him the art of living as that he should clean escape from his former misery.
“With uprightness of heart,” His heart would be upright if the Lord would teach him, and then it should praise its teacher. There is such a thing as false and feigned praise, and this the Lord abhors; but there is no music like that which comes from a pure soul which standeth in its integrity. Heart praise is required, uprightness in that heart, and teaching to make the heart upright. An upright heart is sure to bless the Lord, for grateful adoration is a part of its uprightness; no man can be right unless he is upright towards God, and this involves the rendering to him the praise which is his due.
“When I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.” We must learn to praise, learn that we may praise, and praise when we have learned. If we are ever to learn, the Lord must teach us, and especially upon such a subject as his judgments, for they are a great deep. While these are passing before our eyes, and we are learning from them, we ought to praise God, for the original is not, “when I have learned,” but, “in my learning.” While yet I am a scholar, I will be a chorister: my upright heart shall praise thine uprightness, my purified judgment shall admire thy judgments. God’s providence is a book full of teaching, and to those whose hearts are right it is a music book, out of which they chant to Jehovah’s praise. God’s word is full of the record of his righteous providences, and as we read it we feel compelled to burst forth into expressions of holy delight and ardent praise. When we both read of God’s judgments and become joyful partakers in them, we are doubly moved to song,—song in which there is neither formality, nor hypocrisy, nor lukewarmness, for the heart is upright in the presentation of its praise. (Spurgeon, C. H. (2009). The treasury of David: Psalms 111-119 (Vol. 5, p. 145). 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!!)
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Frank Bailey suggest: Build a circle of friends who like to talk about investments, business ideas, and personal growth instead of gossiping about other people.
Numbers 14
The children of Israel reject God’s signs.
INSIGHT
By nature, we are sight-walkers, not faith-walkers. We tend to have confidence in that which we can see, that which we have known. We fear that which we can’t see and haven’t known.
Not only does Israel refuse to go into the land because of the giants-the Israelites want to return to Egypt! Do they not remember that they were slaves there? Do they not remember that they cried out in tears to God for deliverance from Egypt?
You can’t go back to your old life. There is nothing there but bondage. Your hope lies in following the Lord by faith. Walk forward. (Quiet Walk)
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Daily Hope Today’s Scripture
Exodus 4-6
When I was a younger Pastor, I would often doubt myself, wondering if I could actually speak to a large group of people. I had been told at one point that I was a small church Pastor and that is all I would ever be. I have come to realize that God’s Word is much more powerful than the spoken words of others!
Moses was God’s chosen spokesperson to represent Him before Pharoah. He had been shown the power and had heard the voice of God as few men had ever seen before. Yet the past of his life, caused him to doubt, and to ask God to send a different representative before Pharoah and the people of Israel.
Moses had many excuses for God. He knew his past consisted of a quick temper which led to murder. He had run away instead of facing the repercussions in Egypt. He left his family to suffer in captivity for forty years. Regardless of the reasons, Moses felt inadequate and incompetent to be God’s courier.
Being called and being prepared are very different phases of life and ministry. God often calls us to a task and then begins the process of training and developing us to accomplish His plan. For Moses, it meant seeing and being a part of God’s miraculous works. He witnessed his wooden staff change to a serpent and his hand becoming leprous and then restored. Together with his brother as his partner, they stood before Pharoah where Moses had once stood as a child. God used each phase in his life to train and prepare Moses.
While his call was to be obeyed, training was paramount for God’s work to be accomplished. Moses’ preparatory lessons in the desert were necessary to endure the difficult days of questioning by Jewish leadership and Pharoah’s rejection of God’s commands. Even after the desert school, Moses hesitated and needed God’s assurance to continue to speak to Israel and Pharoah.
Each of us are placed in a school of God’s training to refine and expand areas of our understanding and belief in God. If we doubt as Moses did, God will give us reassurance through His Word that He is in control in each circumstance. “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharoah, king of Egypt all that I say to you” (Exodus 6:29).
With an Expectant Hope, Pastor Miller
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Leviticus 16
The Day of Atonement.
INSIGHT
In spite of God’s desire that we be holy, He is fully aware that we will not remain free from sin. But because God loves us and wants to be gracious to us, He provides a way for our sins to be forgiven.
In the Old Testament, the nation is cleansed from sin annually on the Day of Atonement. Since Christ has come, we may be cleansed moment by moment- whenever we ask for His cleansing mercy. (Quiet Walk)
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THE HOLY SPIRIT APPLIES CHRIST’S WORD
When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin. John 16:8
The Holy Spirit not only reveals Christ—He also applies His Word, which convicts us of sin. I have met people who said to me, “I do not understand this teaching about sin. I do not feel I am a sinner.” Well, if you do not feel you are a sinner, it is simply because you do not know yourself, and you do not know yourself because the Holy Spirit has not convicted you. Some of the best people who have ever trodden this earth have been those who have been most conscious of their sinfulness. I cannot imagine a worse state for anybody to be in than for him or her to say he or she does not feel he or she is a sinner. The Holy Spirit convicts and convinces of sin, and if He has not done it for you, if you value your own soul, ask Him to do it. Christ came to die for sinners, not for the righteous, and the first work of the Spirit is to convict of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. We come to Christ for salvation after the Spirit has convinced us of sin, because the Lord Jesus Christ is the answer to our need.
The Holy Spirit then gives us assurance of our acceptance and our forgiveness. He is a seal given to us to show that we belong to God. He testifies with our spirits that we are the children of God. No Christian has a right to be uncertain about his or her salvation; the Holy Spirit has been given in order that we might be certain, for “the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16). If any Christian who is reading this is uncertain or is lacking in assurance and in happiness, let me urge this upon you—ask for the gift of the Spirit in His fullness, ask for this blessed assurance, tell God you long for it, do not give yourself rest or peace, and in a sense do not give God rest or peace until you have it.
A Thought to Ponder: No Christian has a right to be uncertain about his or her salvation. (From Saved in Eternity, pp. 91-92, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS THE WORK OF CHRIST
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Corinthians 2:12
The Holy Spirit not only reveals the person—He also reveals the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. The preaching of Christ, says Paul, is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks (1 Corinthians 1:23). These so-called wise men frequently stumble at the cross especially. You see, the preaching of the first disciples was not only that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, but that He came into the world in order to deal with the problem of sin. They taught that the meaning of His death upon the cross was not merely that He was arrested by the Romans at the instigation of the Pharisees and put to death by crucifixion. No; they taught also that God had made Him to be sin for us—it was a great transaction between the Father and the Son. To the philosophers this was nonsense. They did not understand because they did not receive the Holy Spirit. But “we,” says Paul again to the Corinthians, “have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).
I want to ask a simple question here: Have you understood this matter of the atonement? Are you clear about the work of Christ? Do you see and know that the Lord Jesus Christ has taken your sins upon Himself and has died for them on the tree? If you are in difficulty, it is because you have not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit. The only way you can come to know this is not to try to understand it intellectually, but to ask God to enlighten you by the Spirit and to enable you to see and receive this truth as the Spirit unfolds the work of Christ.
A Thought to Ponder: Ask God to enlighten you by the Spirit.
(From Saved in Eternity, pp. 89-90, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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The Power of Love
Many waters cannot quench love. Song of Songs 8:7
Two octogenarians, one from Germany and the other from Denmark, were an unlikely couple. They had each enjoyed sixty years of marriage before being widowed. Though living only fifteen minutes apart, their homes were in separate countries. Still, they fell in love, regularly cooking meals and spending time together. Sadly, in 2020, due to the coronavirus, the Danish government closed the border crossing. Undeterred, every day at 3:00 p.m., the two met at the border on a quiet country lane and, seated on their respective sides, shared a picnic. “We’re here because of love,” the man explained. Their love was stronger than borders, more powerful than a pandemic.
The Song of Songs offers an impressive display of love’s invincible power. “Love is as strong as death,” Solomon insisted (8:6). None of us escapes death; it arrives with a steely finality we can’t break. And yet love, the writer said, is every bit as strong. What’s more, love “burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame” (v. 6). Have you ever watched a fire exploding in feverish rage? Love—like fire—is impossible to contain. “Many waters cannot quench love.” Not even a raging river can sweep love away (v. 7).
Human love, whenever it’s selfless and true, offers reflections of these characteristics. However, only God’s love offers such potency, such limitless depths, such tenacious power. And here’s the stunner: God loves each of us with this unquenchable love.
By Winn Collier (Our Daily Bread)
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The Golden Scepter
“And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near and touched the top of the sceptre.” (Esther 5:2)
Queen Esther knew she was risking her life when she came unbidden into the presence of the mighty king of Persia in his throne room. Even though she was his favorite wife, he did not know she was a Jew or that she was hoping to get Haman’s terrible order for genocide of the Jews reversed. She knew that it was a capital offense for even a queen to go into the throne room without authorization, and that only the king—by holding out to her his golden scepter—could save her life. But she also knew that she had “come to the kingdom for such a time as this,” and so she said: “If I perish, I perish” (4:14, 16). The king, however, did extend his golden sceptre to her, and even said: “What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee” (5:6).
In a beautiful way, this is also a picture of our own coming to Christ, the King of kings. One does not have to be a queen, however, for “whosoever will” may come (Revelation 22:17) if he has the courage to die to the world and the faith to believe that Christ can save. The Lord Jesus Christ graciously says to those who come to Him in faith, believing: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do” (John 14:13).
The invitation is to “whosoever” and the promise is for “whatsoever”! “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). None dared enter the court of the Persian king without being called, but we have been called by our heavenly King, for “a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom” (1:8).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Living by Faith
We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7
Gary was experiencing some balance issues while walking, so his doctor ordered physical therapy to improve his balance. During one session his therapist told him, “You’re trusting too much in what you can see, even when it’s wrong! You’re not depending enough on your other systems—what you feel under your feet and your inner-ear signals—which are also meant to help keep you balanced.”
“You’re trusting too much in what you can see” brings to mind the story of David, a young shepherd, and his encounter with Goliath. For forty days, Goliath, a Philistine champion, “strutted in front of the Israelite army,” taunting them to send someone out to fight him (1 Samuel 17:16 nlt). But what the people focused on naturally caused them fear. Then young David showed up because his father asked him to take supplies to his older brothers (v. 18).
How did David look at the situation? By faith in God, not by sight. He saw the giant but trusted that God would rescue His people. Even though he was just a boy, he told King Saul, “Don’t worry about this Philistine . . . . I’ll go fight him!” (v. 32 nlt). Then he told Goliath, “The battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (v. 47). And that’s just what God did.
Trusting in God’s character and power can help us to live more closely by faith rather than by sight. (By Anne Cetas, Our Daily Bread)
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Glenn writes (NY): Quote: I’m not a Christian because I’m strong and have it all together. I’m a Christian because I’m weak and admit I need a Savior. (Lecrae)
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In my own ministry in pastors’ conferences, I have discovered that too many ministers neglect their daily devotional time, or hurry through it, so they can get involved in “more important matters.” …. [Robert Murray McCheyne] He prepared his messages carefully and was a diligent student. “Beaten oil,” he used to say, “beaten oil for the lamps of the sanctuary” (referring to Exod. 27:20). He brought into the pulpit fresh manna that he gathered himself in his personal fellowship with the Lord. (p. 83, 50 People Every Christian should Know by Warren W. Wiersbe)
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Go Get Her
You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? ROMANS 2:21
I’ll never forget the email I received from a husband who described in point-by-point detail what he hoped to get from one of our marriage conferences he and his wife were scheduled to attend. I can’t squeeze all of them onto this page, but you’ll get the idea.
I need you to talk to my wife about:
1. Getting her to stop watching bad TV shows
2. Getting her to read the Bible
3. Getting her to listen to Christian music
4. Getting her to support the charity work I do
5. Getting her to realize that she’s a sinner
6. Getting her to stop drinking beer
7. Getting her to stop wasting our family’s money
8. Getting her to stop worrying about fixing up our home
9. Getting her to realize she’s setting a bad example
After reading this email, I wanted to say to him, “Well, sir, I’ve got a better idea. What if instead of making this long list of things you’d like to see changed about your wife, you made a list of what you needed to change? What if you made a list of what you most appreciate about her? What if you made a list of her top-three needs from you, along with a deadline for you meet them?”
I know this is an extreme example. It’s easy to pick on someone like this. But ask yourself, Am I too quick to think that fixing my mate is the solution to our marriage problems?
DISCUSS
Promise each other you’re going to make at least one of the three lists I mentioned. Plan a time when you can share them. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
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SPECIFIC PROMISES FULFILLED
…they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn.
Zechariah 12:10
Prophecy tells us that Christ is to be “a light to lighten the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32), a most astounding thing to have said to the Jews. But it was said many times in the prophecy of Isaiah, in 42:6 and 60:3 and in other places. We are also told in Isaiah 53 that His death is to be vicarious. We are told that He will enter into the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9), and you remember how that was fulfilled. We are told that He is to be sold for thirty pieces of silver, and that with His price a potter’s field will be purchased (Zechariah 11:12-13). We are told that lots would be cast for His garments (Psalm 22:18). We are told that He will be given vinegar to drink in His sorrow (Psalm 69:21). We are even told that He would utter certain words on the cross: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1). Psalm 22:16 says that His hands and feet will be pierced, and Zechariah 12:10 adds, “…they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they s hall mourn.” And we are told in Isaiah 53:9 that He will make His grave with the wicked and with the rich in His death, and we know that He was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
The Bible also exhorts us to consider Him because He is the only one by whom we can be reconciled to God and by whom we can know God. We read in Hebrews 12:24 that He is “the mediator of the new covenant.” He said Himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Anyone who says a thing like that must be looked at and considered. If we value our salvation and want to know God, we must listen to such a person.
A Thought to Ponder: We are told in Isaiah 53 that Christ’s death is to be vicarious.
(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 250-251, by Dr.Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Leadership Situational Awareness
“Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 7:2-3)
When God calls a dedicated leader into His service, He almost always gives a vision to go with that calling. With Moses, the vision was given at the beginning, specified in advance throughout the implementation, and reiterated as the great exodus came to fruition.
The 10 plagues were thrusts from the mouth of God at the gods of Egypt’s polytheistic pantheon. Just so, our warfare is “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Just as Moses was told Pharaoh would resist each display of God’s power, so we are told to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Yet, even the Enemy of God’s people is subject to the Word of the Creator. While Satan may “roar” and “devour,” he will also “flee” when God’s leaders “submit . . . to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
There are times when the bad guys seem to have it their way. God does not see time the same way we do and will expect His godly saints to wait patiently for Him. Our instructions are to not be “envious against the workers of iniquity” but to “trust,” “delight,” and “commit” our way to the Lord, “and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:1-5). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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