PSALM 131
Humility of the Psalmist verse 1
LORD – my heart is not haughty – nor mine eyes lofty
neither do I exercise myself in great matters
or in things to high for me
Contentment of the Psalmist verse 2
Surely I have behaved and quieted myself
as a child that is weaned of his mother
my soul is even as a weaned child
Hope of the Psalmist verse 3
Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and forever
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. (1361 “haughty” [gabah] means high, exalted, be proud, hard to understand, or elevated.)
DEVOTION: David is explaining to the LORD that his heart is one that is humble before HIM. He knew that the LORD looked at the heart of each individual.
The inner person is the most important part of a person. Our vocabulary comes from our heart. Our actions come from our heart. Our beliefs come from our heart. Our inner life is what needs to be developed in its relationship to the LORD. The Word of God states: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he …” (Proverbs 23: 7). When Christ preached concerning the heart HE stated: “blessed are the pure in heart…” (Matthew 5:8) Our hearts relationship with the LORD gives us our motivation in life.
Those outside of Christ would be describes as proud. That would be the opposite of humble. They would be individuals who would look down on others. They would think that they are smarter than even God in dealing with life’s issues. They would never think that there was anything they couldn’t handle themselves without the help of anyone else or even God.
We live a world where most of those around us are outside of Christ. Every individual is doing what is right in their own eyes. They are all going whatever way their personal desires take them. They are not honoring the LORD or even thinking of honoring the LORD.
The challenge is found in the fact that many who claim Christ are going in the same direction. There seems to be no distinction between those who are followers of Christ and those who are not. People look into the life of a believer and see the same desires and actions as those who are not followers of Christ.
CHALLENGE: What motivates our actions? Are we motivated by a love for the LORD or something else? The LORD is the only one who knows our motives outside of ourselves. What does HE see?
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 2 Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. (1826 “quieted” [daman] means to be dumb, to be astonished, to stop, cease, be cut down, forbear, hold peace, rest, be silent, be still, or wait.)
DEVOTION: David is said to have written this ascent psalm for worship. He states that he is not haughty or lofty or thinks he is better than others or thinks he is smarter than other.
He comes to worship the LORD with a calm and silent attitude. He is as a baby who is being nursed by his mother. He is waiting to be feed by the LORD through worship. He is describing himself as someone who is content with someone else feeding him his daily nourishment.
Who should be feeding us on a daily basis? If we are followers of the LORD the one feeding us should be the Holy Spirit. Remember the Holy Spirit is given as a gift to all those who are believers. HE is our teacher. HE is the one who helps us understand what the LORD would have us do each day of our life. HE is the one who gives us a spiritual gift to be used in a local church. HE is the one who convicts us of sin.
We are to manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our daily walk in this world. People should see a different in us. We should not be proud or arrogant. We should be humble.
He concludes with a statement of hope. We have a message of hope because of what Christ did on the cross. When we are in the presence of the LORD we need to realize that HE is taking care of our every need. HE has promised to do that. HE keeps HIS promises.
We can wait on the LORD to provide what HE has promised. The best place to worship the LORD is in church. We can hear from HIM through the proper preaching of HIS Word.
There are two different words for the Word of God in relation to us: milk and meat. We need to hear each at each worship service we attend. Just like a mother takes care of feeding her child. The church has a responsibility to feed the believer.
We can feed ourselves at home but our second source of nourishment should be the church. The LORD wants the family to grow together in HIM. Is this a great picture? Praise the LORD for HIS care for us. Can we rest in HIS love and care?
CHALLENGE: Biblical teachers need to feed the people of God with Biblical truth not political correctness. We need to teach humility in a proud and haughty world
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 3 “O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.” The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Hope – 3176 יָחַל [yachal /yaw·chal/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 859; GK 3498; 42 occurrences; AV translates as “hope” 22 times, “wait” 12 times, “tarry” three times, “trust” twice, “variant” twice, and “stayed” once. 1 to wait, hope, expect. 1A (Niphal) to wait. 1B (Piel). 1B1 to wait, await, tarry. 1B2 to wait for, hope for. 1C (Hiphil) to wait, tarry, wait for, hope for. James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: It is unusual for a strong and valiant ruler to call upon his people to hope in someone or something different than himself. A ruler needed to be in control and demonstrate his authority to the people under him. David knew who was truly in control and called on his people to acknowledge the same truth. Leaders need to remember that they are placed in the position they are in and like David hold loosely to their positions. Christ is Sovereign and hold all leaders and leadership positions in His hand! Be humble under the mighty hand of God!
CHALLENGE: Be careful to place your hope in the right place and do not exalt yourself before others! Proverbs 30:32 “If you have been foolish in exalting yourself, or if you have devised evil, put your hand on your mouth.”(Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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)
Prayer verse 1- 3
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 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)
Child weaned of his mother verse 2
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Haughty heart verse 1
Lofty eyes verse 1
Not exercise in great matters verse 1
High things verse 1
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Behaved verse 2
Quieted self verse 2
Hope verse 3
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Psalm of David Prefix
Israel verse 3
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Henceforth and forever hope in LORD verse 3
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QUOTES regarding passage
- It would be easy to make this verse an excuse to avoid the challenges of life. But the sin rejected in 1a is pride (cf. the little portrait of the supercilious in Prov. 30:13), while the sin of 1b is presumption. By the first of these, one undervalues other people (unless they seem worth cultivating); by the second, one overestimates and overreaches oneself, forgetting, e.g., Deuteronomy 29:29. In Philippians 2 we are shown the constructive answer to the first of these temptations, in the honour of being a servant; and in Philippians 3, 1 Corinthians 2, the answer to the second, not by stifling adventurousness but by rightly directing it. (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, pp. 483–484). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
1 The psalm begins with an emphatic reference to Yahweh in the MT: “O Yahweh, my heart.” In the presence of the covenant God, the psalmist has experienced how wonderful complete submission to God is. Submission implies an attitude of humility (cf. Mic 6:8). The opposite of humility is “haughty eyes” and a preoccupation “with great matters” (v. 1). The proud person looks, compares, competes, and is never content. He plans and schemes in his heart as to how he can outdo and outperform. The godly knows that true godliness begins in the “heart” that is not proud (cf. Prov 18:12), with eyes that do not envy (cf. 18:27; 101:5; Prov 16:5), and with a walk of life (MT, “I do not walk” for NIV, “I do not concern myself”) that is not preoccupied with “greatness” (cf. Jer 45:5) and with accomplishments (“wonderful,” i.e., “difficult” or “arduous”; cf. Deut 17:8; 30:11).
The psalmist was also like “a weaned child.” The age of the child in the simile of the “weaned child” (gāmul) should not be stressed. The word gāmul may also mean “contented” (W.A. VanGemeren, “Psalm 131:2—kegāmul. The Problem of Meaning and Metaphor,” Hebrew Studies 23 [1982]: 51–57). The suggestion is sometimes made that a weaned child is no longer restless when it is with its mother because it no longer frets for milk. However, a baby satisfied with its mother’s milk can also lie contented on its mother’s breast. The essential picture is that of contentment, regardless of the age. So the psalmist feels a deep sense of peace, tranquility, and contentment with his God. Gottfried Quell suggests that the psalmist speaks of the experience of children being carried by their mothers on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem (“Struktur und Sinn des Psalms 131,” Das Ferne und Nahe Wort: Festschrift Leonhard Rost zur Vollendung seines 70. Lebensjahres am 30. November 1966 gewidmet ed. Fritz Maas [Berlin: Topelmann, 1967], pp. 173–85). Based on his wonderful relationship and walk with the Lord, David calls on Israel to trust in the Lord forevermore (cf. 130:7). (VanGemeren, W. A. (1991). Psalms. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (Vol. 5, pp. 802–803). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
- Surely, &c.—The form is that of an oath or strongest assertion. Submission is denoted by the figure of a weaned child. As the child weaned by his mother from the breast, so I still the motions of pride in me (Mt 18:3, 4; Is 11:8; 28:9). Hebrew children were often not weaned till three years old. (Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 1, p. 386). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.)
Psalm 131
Asserting that he had not been proud or followed lofty endeavors, pilgrim David spoke of his childlike trust, his hope in the Lord.
A. Humility (131:1–2)
131:1. David affirmed that he had not been arrogant. Pride is essentially independence from and disobedience to God. The psalmist knew that he depended on the Lord. Proud ambition (haughty eyes; cf. 18:27; 101:5; Prov. 6:17; 30:13) and selfishly ambitious endeavors (great matters) had not been his pursuits.
131:2. David then testified to his humility. His soul was not disturbed by selfish ambition and passion. He had stilled and silenced his soul. Like a weaned child, no longer wanting his mother’s milk, he was content without that which used to seem indispensable. A mature believer leaves the clamor of proud ambition and rests in the Lord.
B. Hope (131:3)
131:3. David called for Israel to hope in the Lord forever. To trust in Him is the antithesis of pride. (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 887). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
In 130 the exhortation to hope arose from what is true of the Lord; in 131:3 it arises from what the psalmist has found to be personally true. He has taken a lowly place (1); his inner being (2) is at rest—like a child grown past the instinctive demands and fretfulness of infancy and now content, as a toddler, simply to be with mother. What original journey out of self-competent pride into humility and rest first prompted this beautiful psalm? We do not know, but its call to hope in the Lord links it with 130 and makes it the testimony of a sinner forgiven: humbled by the mercy of God, at peace within because at peace above. (Motyer, J. A. (1994). The Psalms. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 575). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
If anyone in Israel had reasons to be proud, it was David. The eighth son of a common citizen, he began as a humble shepherd and yet became Israel’s greatest king. A courageous soldier, a gifted general and tactician, and a sincere man of God, it was David who defeated Israel’s enemies, expanded her boundaries, and amassed the wealth that Solomon used to build the temple. He wrote nearly half of the psalms, and though (like all of us) he was guilty of disobeying the Lord, he was always repentant and sought God’s merciful forgiveness. It was for David’s sake that the Lord kept the light burning in Jerusalem during the years of Judah’s decay, and it was from David’s line that Jesus Christ came into this world. Except for a few lapses into selfishness and sin, David walked with the Lord in a humble spirit. In this brief psalm, he tells us the essentials of a life that glorifies God and accomplishes His work on earth.
Honesty—Accept Yourself (v. 1)
We move toward maturity when we honestly accept who we are, understand what we can do, accept both and live for God’s glory. Rejecting or hating ourselves, fantasizing about ourselves, and envying others are marks of immaturity. David had seen some of this kind of behavior in his own son Absalom as well as in King Saul. A proud heart refuses to face reality, a high look covers up hidden inadequacy, and arrogant ambition (“going to and fro constantly”) impresses some people but leads ultimately to embarrassing failure (Jer. 45:5). When you accept yourself and your lot and thank God for the way He made you, you do not need to impress people. They will see your worth and love you for who you are. (See 16:5–6; Prov. 18:12; Phil. 4:11–12; Heb. 13:5.) Spoiled children want to be seen and heard and they get involved in things they cannot handle. David did not promote himself; it was all God’s doing.
Humility—Accept God’s Will (v. 2)
The simile of the weaned child is a beautiful picture of the meaning of humility and maturity. Hebrew children were weaned at ages three or four, and this experience marked the end of their infancy. But most children do not want to be deprived of mother’s loving arms and satisfying breasts, and they feel rejected and unwanted. But after the crisis of birth, each child must eventually be weaned and learn the first lesson in the school of life: growing up involves painful losses that can lead to wonderful gains. The Hebrew word for “wean” means “to complete, to ripen, to treat kindly.” The English word may be a contraction of the Scottish phrase “wee one,” or it may come from a Teutonic word that means “to be accustomed.” Maturing people know that life is a series of gains and losses, and they learn how to use their losses constructively. If children are to grow up and not just grow old, they must be able to function apart from mother. This means weaning, going to school, choosing a vocation, and probably marrying and starting a new home. They must learn that there is a difference between cutting the apron strings and cutting the heartstrings and that these separations do not rob them of mother’s love.
God’s goal for us is emotional and spiritual maturity (1 Cor. 13:11; 14:20; Eph. 4:13–15), and God sometimes has to wean us away from good things in order to give us better things. Abraham had to leave his family and city, send Ishmael away, separate from Lot, and put Isaac on the altar. Painful weanings! Joseph had to be separated from his father and his brothers in order to see his dreams come true. Both Jacob and Peter had to be weaned from their own self-sufficiency and learn that faith means living without scheming. The child that David described wept and fretted but eventually calmed down and accepted the inevitable. The word describes the calming of the sea or the farmer’s leveling of the ground after plowing (Isa. 28:25). Instead of emotional highs and lows, the child developed a steady uniform response, indicating a giant step forward in the quest for maturity. Successful living means moving from dependence to independence, and then to interdependence, always in the will of God. To accept God’s will in the losses and gains of life is to experience that inner calm that is so necessary if we are to be mature people.
Hope—Anticipate the Future (v. 3)
Infants do not realize that their mother’s decision is for their own good, for weaning sets them free to meet the future and make the most of it. The child may want to keep things as they are, but that way lies immaturity and tragedy. When we fret over a comfortable past, we only forfeit a challenging future. In the Christian vocabulary, hope is not “hope so.” It is joyful anticipation of what the Lord will do in the future, based on His changeless promises. Like the child being weaned, we may fret at our present circumstances, but we know that our fretting is wrong. Our present circumstances are the womb out of which new blessings and opportunities will be born (Rom. 8:28). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., pp. 172–175). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.)
THIS psalm was written by David in his younger days, before he came to the throne; while he was in Saul’s court, or persecuted by him. The occasion of it, as is generally thought, was a calumny cast upon him, as if he had some ill designs against Saul; was ambitious of the crown, and aspiring to the throne, and was plotting and forming measures to get the government into his hand; see 1 Sam. 24:9, 14 and 26:18, 20 with respect to all which he declares himself as innocent as a weaned child; and was as far from any such ambitious views as he was when in such a state; for the truth of which he appealed to God. Kimchi thinks that David, by his example, taught the Jews how to behave in captivity; that as he behaved, so should they, in great humility. The Syriac inscription is, “it is said concerning Jesus the son of Josedech the high-priest; and concerning humility.” But the psalm no doubt was written by David of himself.
Ver. 1. Lord, my heart is not haughty, &c.] The heart of every man is naturally so, and everything in civil life tends to make it more so; as riches and honour, birth and blood, wisdom, knowledge, and learning, strength and beauty, especially where there is a superiority of those to others; and in religious life, if persons have not the true grace of God, their hearts will be haughty; if they have a notion of the purity of human nature, and the goodness of their hearts, and are pure in their own eyes, and of the power of their free will to do this and the other, and of their perfection in good works, and are full of their own righteousness, and have some external gifts, and some degree of notional knowledge; but if the heart is made truly contrite under a sense of sin, and is melted with discoveries of pardoning love, it will be humble and not haughty: and those have such hearts who have seen the naughtiness of their hearts, and the exceeding sinfulness of sin; their impotency to that which is spiritually good; their imperfection in all they do; the excellency and suitableness of Christ’s righteousness, and that all their salvation is of grace, and that grace is entirely free; and the more spiritual knowledge and experience they have, the more humble they are: and this was David’s case, and what he here said was no doubt true, since he hated lying; and besides he speaks this in the presence of and to God the searcher of hearts; though he had been anointed by Samuel, and knew that he was to be successor in the kingdom, yet his heart was not elated with it. Nor mine eyes lofty; or lifted up; they were lifted up to God in prayer often, but not above his fellow-creatures; he behaved himself humbly as well as wisely in Saul’s court, where he was raised to great dignity, which gained him the affections of the court, and of all Israel; but there are too many whose eyes are lofty, and their eyelids lifted up, who disdain to look upon those that are inferior to them, as the rich on the poor, the Pharisee on the publican; see Prov. 30:13. This is the character of antichrist, that his look is more stout than his fellows, and is abominable in the sight of God, even a proud look as well as a proud heart, Prov. 6:17 and 16:5. But this was not David’s case; as he could not bear this in others he would not suffer it in himself, Psal. 101:5. Neither do I exercise myself in great matters; or, walk in them; these were not the subject of his employment and conversation; he did many great things, in killing the lion and the bear that came into his father’s flock; in slaying Goliath with a sling and stone only; in leading out the armies of Israel, and slaying his ten thousands; and he exercised himself in the great things of the law, which he was careful to observe, and studied the great things of the Gospel, which he had the highest esteem of, and desired to understand; but he did not seek human greatness, or the great things of this world, for himself; he had no ambitious views, or was desirous of the kingdom he was anointed to, before the proper time; see 1 Sam. 18:18, 23. Or in things too high for me; or too wonderful; see Job. 42:3. He contemplated the wonderful make and frame of his body, the texture, symmetry, and use of its several parts; he observed the wonderful providences of God towards him ever since he had a being; and particularly he took notice of the wonderful love of God to him, and remembered and talked of, and declared, the wonderful works of grace and redemption; but not things above his capacity, out of his reach, and which are secret, or not clearly revealed: and such things we should be content to be ignorant of, or not to have adequate ideas of, or be capable of accounting for; as the being and perfections of God, particularly his immensity and eternity; the mode of subsisting of the Persons in the Godhead; the generation of the Son and procession of the Spirit; the incarnation of Christ, and the union of the two natures in him; present providences, unsearchable and past finding out; and future things, especially the times and seasons of them; see Psal. 139:6.
Ver. 2. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, &c.] Or, my soul; behaved quietly and peaceably towards all men, even his inferiors in Saul’s court and elsewhere, and had given no tokens of a restless, turbulent, and ambitious spirit; as well as behaved patiently under all his troubles and afflictions, reproaches and calumnies: or if I have notp, being in the form of an oath or imprecation, as Kimchi and Aben Ezra observe; if I have not thus behaved, let it come to me so and so, or let me be as a weaned child. Noldius renders it by way of interrogation, have I not composed and quieted myself? &c. The Targum is, “if I have not put the hand to the mouth, and caused my soul to be silent, until it heard the words of the law.” As a child that is weaned of his mother; and, for the further confirmation of it, it is added, my soul is even as a weaned child; innocent and harmless, had no more ill designs against Saul than a weaned child; humble, meek, and lowly, and had no more aspiring and ambitious views than such an one; like that, weaned from the world, the riches, honours, pleasures, and profits of it; as well as from nature, from self, from his own righteousness, and from all dependence on it; and as a child that is weaned from the breast wholly depends on its nurse for sustenance, so did he wholly depend upon God, his providence, grace, and strength; and as to the kingdom, he had no more covetous desires after it than a weaned child has to the breast, and was very willing to wait the due time for the enjoyment of it. The Targum, “as one weaned on the breasts of its mother, I am strengthened in the law.” This is to be understood not of a child whilst weaning, when it is usually peevish, fretful, and froward; but when weaned, and is quiet and easy in its mother’s arms without the breast.
Ver. 3. Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.] What he did himself, and found it good for him to do, that he knew was good for others, and therefore exhorts and encourages to it, to hope in the Lord and wait for his salvation; and which should be done constantly, and to the end of life, or till the thing hoped for is enjoyed; see Heb. 3:6; 1 Pet. 1:13. Perhaps some respect is here had to the people of Israel, especially the friends of David, who were weary of Saul’s government, and impatient to have David on the throne; whom he advises to wait patiently, and not take any indirect steps to bring it about, but leave it with God, and hope and trust in him; compare with this 1 Sam. 24:7 and 26:8, 9. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, pp. 262–263). 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!!)
The Terror of the Lord
“Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” (2 Corinthians 5:11)
The use of the English word “terror” in this verse as a translation of the Greek phobos (from which we get our word “phobia”) indicates that the frequent Old Testament phrase “fear of the LORD” means much more than implied in the modern euphemism “reverential trust.” The only other New Testament use of this phrase is in Acts 9:31: “Then had the churches rest…and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”
These two passages seem to be informing us that when a church is “walking in the terror of the Lord,” its members will be seeking every means whereby to “persuade men” to come to Christ, and therefore its numbers will increase.
This impassioned persuasion of the lost is motivated by knowledge that “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10). That is, we know that the Lord Jesus, who died for lost sinners and has commissioned us to tell them of His great salvation, will be highly displeased if we don’t do so, or if our testimony is compromised by our selfish lives. At His judgment seat, “the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is….If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:13, 15).
The terror of the Lord, when we appear before Him in that day, is not the only motive for witnessing, of course. “The love of Christ constraineth us,” and when our testimony is received (our motives being “manifest unto God” and even to the “consciences” of those to whom we witness), then the glorious result is “a new creature” in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:14, 17). (HMM, The Institute fro Creation Research)
Love is the greatest virtue that all Christians should exhibit.
INSIGHT
Throughout the Bible, love is clearly considered the supreme virtue. Both Jesus and Paul teach that the greatest Christian virtue is love. However, it is not always easy to measure love, especially because our society has such a distorted concept of what love is. Many people think that love is simply an emotion. We may think that if we don’t feel “warm and fuzzy,” we don’t love. While emotions certainly may be attached to biblical love, love is primarily an act of the will. And God commands us to love. If you exhibit the qualities listed in today’s chapter, you are loving regardless of your emotions. (Quiet Walk)
THE ANOINTING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
But ye have an unction from the Holy One. 1 John 2:20
What is it that enables us to stand and to remain and to avoid the seduction of false teaching that would separate us from God and Christ and eventually lead to our condemnation? Well, John says here that it is all due to the work of the Holy Spirit. Christians are who they are because of the Holy Spirit. Christians, he says, are those who have received an unction or anointing that is his way of describing the Holy Spirit. It is because of Him that they are able to discern and understand and avoid the subtle dangers that threaten them within the realm even of the Christian Church itself. John says in verses 20-21, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” Then he adds in verse 27, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you.”
John’s words “unction” or “anointing” are just a very graphic way of describing the influence and the effect of the Holy Spirit upon the believer. It is the wording of the Old Testament where we are frequently told that prophets, priests, and kings, when they were inducted as it were, were anointed with oil; that was the mechanism, the ceremonial, that was used to set them apart for their office. Samuel anointed first Saul and then David as king. The same anointing was given to the priests and prophets, and the results of that pouring of the oil upon them was that in that way they were regarded as consecrated; they had become anointed ones who were now enabled to do their duty.
A Thought to Ponder
John’s words “unction” or “anointing” are just a very graphic way of describing the influence and the effect of the Holy Spirit upon the believer. (From Walking with God, pp. 118-119, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Scattered Abroad
“So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.” (Genesis 11:8)
The verse above is a summary statement of God’s judgment at Babel, at which time God confused the languages of the people there and dispersed them throughout the earth. These original nations—all descended from Noah and his three sons—are listed in what is called the “Table of Nations” in Genesis 10. As time went on, the people proliferated into still more nations and languages and migrated still farther from Babel until finally, as the verse says, they were scattered “upon the face of all the earth.”
Christopher Columbus was a brave explorer and skilled navigator, as well as a diligent Bible student and convinced Christian. However, he did not “discover America,” as he is said to have done on October 12 in 1492. Neither did Leif Ericsson or any other adventurer whose name has been suggested for this honor.
The Indians discovered America! Archaeologists have found Indian artifacts at occupation sites dating well before the time of Christ at many places in America. And wherever these early tribes went, they carried with them the pantheistic religion taught to their ancestors at Babel by Nimrod there in that first great city after the Flood.
Many centuries later, however, there was another great scattering with a much different purpose and motivation. “Therefore, they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). This time, it was not a false religion that was being carried with them but the saving gospel of Christ who had commanded His followers, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), even “unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
Fear God, Not Man
The fear of the LORD leads to life, so that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil. PROVERBS 19:23
There are few things in life sweeter than lying down in bed after a long, hard day and sinking into a dreamless, uninterrupted, eight-hour sleep. No one enjoys this kind of rest on more of a regular basis than those who have learned to reverence God and practice His presence in their lives. The Bible repeatedly teaches that the fear of God turns us away from evil and from the fear of man.
Non-negotiable Number Two: Fear God, Not Man
Fearing God means we reverence Him. We set Him apart and live our lives under His watchful eyes. To be sure, He is the God of love, but He is also the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! He is a righteous Judge who should be feared. You and I are accountable to Him for the life we live and choices we make.
Do you fear men more than God? Are you preoccupied with what people think about you? Are you living your life for the grandstands of heaven or Earth? Only the fear of God is able to deliver you from the fear of man.
It was A. W. Tozer who said, “What you think about God is the most important thing you think.” Knowing God—really knowing Him and who He is—calibrates all of life. He is the ultimate measurement because He is in control.
When we see God as Creator, Maker, Redeemer, Judge, Consuming Fire, Sovereign King and the One who knows all things, we begin to practice His presence in our lives.
He is God. He is holy. And as fervently as He is to be loved, He should also be fiercely feared. He is worthy of it. And we are in need of fearing Him.
DISCUSS
Who do you fear more: man or God? Share with one another your understanding of who God is and how that understanding impacts your life daily. (Moments with You Couples Devotional by Dennis and Barbara Rainey)
CHURCH SIGNS:
Quote: The Fact that There’s A Highway to Hell and only A stairway to Heaven says a lot about anticipated traffic numbers.
Quote: Noah was a Brave man to sail in a WOODEN Boat with two TERMITES
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