PSALM 147
Singing praise to the LORD is pleasant verse 1
Praise you the LORD – for it is good to sing praises to our God
for it is pleasant – and praise is comely
Description of wonderful care of the LORD verse 2- 6
The LORD does build up Jerusalem
HE gathers together the outcasts of Israel
HE heals the broken in heart – and binds up their wounds
HE tells the number of the stars
HE calls them all by their names
Great is our Lord – and of great power
HIS understanding is infinite
the LORD lifts up the meek
HE casts the wicked down to the ground
Description of the LORD’S care for the animals verse 7- 11
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving
sing praise upon the harp unto our God
WHO covers the heaven with clouds
WHO prepares rain for the earth
WHO makes grass to grow upon the mountains
HE gives to the beast his food – and to the young ravens which cry
HE delights not in the strength of the horse
HE takes not pleasure in the legs of a man
the LORD takes pleasure in them that FEAR HIM
in those that HOPE in HIS mercy
Description of the LORD’S care for Jerusalem verse 12- 14
Praise the LORD – O Jerusalem – praise your God – O Zion
for HE has strengthened the bars of your gates
HE has blessed your children within you
HE makes peace in your borders
and fills you with the finest of the wheat
Description of the LORD’S control over weather verse 15- 18
HE sends forth HIS commandment upon earth
HIS word runs very swiftly
HE gives snow like wool – HE scatters the hoarfrost like ashes
HE cast forth HIS ice like morsels
Who can stand before HIS cold?
HE sends out HIS word – and melts them
HE causes HIS wind to blow and the waters flow
Uniqueness of Israel verse 19- 20
HE shows HIS word unto Jacob
HIS statutes and HIS judgments unto Israel
HE has not dealt so with any nation – and as for HIS judgments
they have not known them Praise you the LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely. (5000 “comely” [na’veh] means becoming, seemly, beautiful, lovely, fitting, and suitable.)
DEVOTION: Our praise should be pleasant to us and to those around us. We should enjoy praising the LORD. The Psalmist spoke of all the reasons why he loved praising the LORD.
The LORD cared about the city he loved. HE gathered those who were considered outcasts and brought them into the city to worship. HE healed those who were going through times of heart ache. Those who were hurt HE touched with his healing time.
The Psalmist is amazed that the LORD could name all the stars and knew their number. We are still finding new stars and we estimate their numbers. Today they are even finding new worlds that they think could have inhabitants. Our God knows every planet and if there is anyone living on them. We continue to speculate.
Our goal each day should be to think properly about our praise to the LORD. We should not be afraid to praise HIM in public. Back a lot of years ago we had a student singing as she was walking down the sidewalk on the grounds of a Bible Institute. Another student came up to them and asked them what was wrong with them. It quenched her spirit and she stopped singing. He was wrong to stop her. Too often this happens in the lives of other believers who are excited about what the LORD is doing in their life and another believer comes up and quenches their spirit.
CHALLENGE: Try not to quench the spirit of another believer trying to praise the LORD. Instead be the believer that is excited about singing praises as you walk down the sidewalk.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
(4557 “infinite” [micpar] means recounting, relation, countless, innumerable, or total.)
DEVOTION: The intelligence of our Lord is not measurable. The word for “Lord” here is “adonai” which means owner or master. The psalmist is telling us that the Creator of the universe is still in control. HE controls the weather. HE controls the food supply. HE delights in those who fear HIM. HE gives hope.
Everyone will answer to HIM as their master or owner either in time or eternity. Those who chose NOT to answer to HIM now are called non-Christians. There is no such thing as universal salvation promised to all humans in eternity. Many will be lost. These individuals will realize at the Great White Throne judgment that HE has been in control both now and throughout eternity.
These individuals will spend eternity in the lake of fire or hell with the devil and his angels. Those who chose to answer to HIM in time are called Christians today. Sometimes we question HIS actions but we know that HE always does what is good and right. Sometimes we don’t understand HIS thinking but HIS thinking is beyond our thinking because HE has total intelligence. We have very limited intelligence. HE has great power to back up HIS decisions.
Our power comes from HIM alone. Our responsibility as Christians is to praise HIM. We are to sing praises to HIM. Once we understand who HE is – we should always want to praise HIM. Part of our praise is to say “THANK YOU” to HIM for all HE provides.
CHALLENGE: Seek to understand just how awesome our God is. This can only be done with the help of the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
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: 7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving, sing praise on the harp to our God. (8426 “thanksgiving” [towdah] means choir, offering thanks for a deity’s deeds in the life of an individual or community, often accompanied by sacrifice, or thank offering.)
DEVOTION: Most people who know me know that I make a joyful noise to the LORD. I have tried to get in a couple of choirs but they seem to think that I can’t sing on key. I just don’t understand, I have a key and think it is right but they have another opinion.
God wants us to sing praises to HIM not just in church but even when we are walking on our way. I did that while in Bible School as I was walking from one building to another. Nobody joined in but I didn’t care.
I should have learned a musical instrument but didn’t. I really enjoy singing praises to the LORD and enjoy a service where the people are singing with their whole heart. The LORD enjoys those times as well. HE is not as concerned about staying on key as human are but HE wants us to praise HIM every chance we get.
Those who attend worship services but don’t sing because they are afraid of what others might think are wrong. It doesn’t matter what others think if we are making a joyful noise to the LORD from our heart. HE hears us and blesses us because we are trying to praise HIM.
The Christian like needs times of singing because it helps when we have times of crying out to HIM for HIS blessings. Israel was called to worship HIM and we are called to do the same each Sunday and throughout the week.
CHALLENGE: Please make your joyful noise to the LORD seven days a week and HE will honor you for it.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 20 “He has not dealt thus with any nation; and as for His judgments, they have not known them. Praise the LORD!” The New King
James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982). (Dealt – 6213 עָשָׂה, עָשָׂה [ʿasah /aw·saw/] v. A primitive root; TWOT 1708, 1709; GK 6913 and 6914; 2633 occurrences; AV translates as “do” 1333 times, “make” 653 times, “wrought” 52 times, “deal” 52 times, “commit” 49 times, “offer” 49 times, “execute” 48 times, “keep” 48 times, “shew” 43 times, “prepare” 37 times, “work” 29 times, “do so” 21 times, “perform” 18 times, “get” 14 times, “dress” 13 times, “maker” 13 times, “maintain” seven times, and translated miscellaneously 154 times. 1 to do, fashion, accomplish, make. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to do, work, make, produce. 1A1A to do. 1A1B to work. 1A1C to deal (with). 1A1D to act, act with effect, effect. 1A2 to make. 1A2A to make. 1A2B to produce. 1A2C to prepare. 1A2D to make (an offering). 1A2E to attend to, put in order. 1A2F to observe, celebrate. 1A2G to acquire (property). 1A2H to appoint, ordain, institute. 1A2I to bring about. 1A2J to use. 1A2K to spend, pass. 1B (Niphal). 1B1 to be done. 1B2 to be made. 1B3 to be produced. 1B4 to be offered. 1B5 to be observed. 1B6 to be used. 1C (Pual) to be made. 2 (Piel) to press, squeeze.
James Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2001).
DEVOTION: We all desire to be special and unique! We love to have our own birthday and to be acclaimed as a one of a kind can be very high praise. The nation of Israel is given that distinction by God as a nation that has been singled out and given a privileged location. This tiny country is chosen even though it is not known for any other key quality. What a special and high calling Israel was receiving.
Israel, as we know, did not do well in that honored stature and fell. The church has become the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5) and is now acclaimed to be in a special, unique position (1 Peter 2). As a member of the body of Christ are you being careful to remember the special status you enjoy?
Today stop and consider the very special relationship you can enjoy with Christ.
CHALLENGE: Jesus loves his own with a fervency and passion! Recognize the special favor you have and do not take it for granted. (Dr. Brian Miller – board member)
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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Praise verse 1, 7, 12, 20
Sing verse 1, 2, 7
Worship is pleasant verse 1
Praise is comely verse 1
Thanksgiving verse 7
Harp verse 7
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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Commandment verse 15
Word verse 15, 18, 19
Statutes verse 19
Judgments verse 19, 20
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 12, 20
HE is good verse 1
God – Elohim (Creator, Sovereign) verse 1, 7, 12
HE heals the broken in heart verse 3
HE binds up wounds of broken in heart verse 3
Omniscience (names the stars) verse 4
Great and has great power verse 5
Lord – Adonai (Master, Owner) verse 5
Understanding is infinite verse 5
Lifts up the meek verse 6
Control of weather verse 8, 16- 18
Provision for animals verse 9
HE delights not in the strength of horses verse 10
HE takes not pleasure in the legs of a man verse 10
HE takes pleasure in them that fear HIM verse 11
Pleasure in those who hope in HIS mercy verse 11
HE strengthens the bars of gates verse 13
HE has blessed children verse 13
HE makes peace in Israel’s borders verse 14
HE fills with the finest of wheat verse 14
HE sends HIS commandment on earth verse 15
HIS word runs very swiftly verse 15
HE controls the weather verse 16- 18
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)
Children verse 13
Nation verse 20
Not other one received HIS statutes
and judgments
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Wicked verse 6
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Heals the broken in heart verse 3
Binds its wounds verse 3
Lifts up the meek verse 6
Thanksgiving verse 7
Fear of the LORD verse 11
Hope verse 11
Mercy verse 11
Blessed verse 13
Peace verse 14
Provision of the LORD verse 14
Praise the LORD verse 20
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jerusalem verse 2, 12
Praise the LORD
Praise YOUR God
Outcasts of Israel verse 2
Zion verse 12
Strengthens Jerusalem verse 13
Jacob verse 19
Shown the God’s word
Statutes
Judgments
Israel verse 19
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
147:7–11. The God who cares
The theme at first is that of Job 38ff. and of Psalm 104: the immense range of God’s operations, equally wonderful for their vastness and their attention to detail. This is divine care on a scale to evoke wonder and worship; but verses 10 and 11 give a fresh turn to it, that so great a Giver looks for humble response, not the benefit of our prowess (‘as though he needed anything’, Acts 17:25), and for trust, not self-sufficiency. The thought is expressed at greater length in Psalm 33:16ff., and with more positive emphasis in Matthew 6:25–34.
…..
But verses 19, 20 are the climax. Here is no merely activating word, but, amazingly, the meeting of minds. It has been well pointed out that, purely as the means of getting things done, statutes and ordinances, or even appeals and encouragements, are most uncertain tools. So by addressing us, not programming us, God shows that he seeks a relationship, not simply a sequence of actions carried out. ‘God does not wish to have my obedience as something which is valuable in itself. He wants me. (Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 523). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
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147:10–11. God should be praised because even though He is so great, He delights not in the mighty but in anyone who trusts Him. This is more evidence of His grace (cf. vv. 3, 6, 12–14, 19–20). (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. 897). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
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The exiles returned to a land that had been left a war zone for seven decades, and they needed the early and latter rains in order to get a harvest. The Lord gathered the clouds over the land and emptied their life-giving rain on the newly planted seed. He even caused grass to grow on the mountains where nobody had planted any seed! He gave food to the wild beasts so they would not attack the humans, and He even sent food for the noisy young ravens. (See 104:1–24.) The ancients believed that young ravens were abandoned by the parent birds and had to find their own food (Luke 12:24). It was essential that the men and their farm animals stay healthy so they could work toward a harvest and be able to feed themselves and their families. But as important as that was, the most important thing was trusting the Lord, fearing the Lord, and giving Him delight as He beheld their devotion and obedience (33:16–17; 146:3–4; Matt. 6:33). It is an awesome thought that we can bring pleasure to the heart of the heavenly Father (35:27; 37:23; 149:4). (Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be exultant (1st ed., pp. 216–217). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries)
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The second part of the psalm (ver. 7–11) passes out from the special field of mercy to Israel, and comes down from the glories of the heavens, to magnify God’s universal goodness manifested in physical changes, by which lowly creatures are provided for. The point of time selected is that of the November rains. The verbs in vv. 8, 9, 11, are again participles, expressive of continuous action. The yearly miracle which brings from some invisible storehouse the clouds to fill the sky and drop down fatness, the answer of the brown earth which mysteriously shoots forth the tender green spikelets away up on the mountain flanks, where no man has sown and no man will reap, the loving care which thereby provides food for the wild creatures, owned by no one, and answers the hoarse croak of the callow fledglings in the ravens’ nests—these are manifestations of God’s power and revelations of His character worthy to be woven into a hymn which celebrates His restoring grace, and to be set beside the apocalypse of His greatness in the mighty heavens. But what has ver. 10 to do here? The connection of it is difficult to trace. Apparently, the psalmist would draw from the previous verses, which exhibit God’s universal goodness and the creatures’ dependence on Him, the lesson that reliance on one’s own resources or might is sure to be smitten with confusion, while humble trust in God, which man alone of earth’s creatures can exercise, is for him the condition of his receiving needed gifts. The beast gets its food, and it is enough that the young ravens should croak, but man has to “fear Him” and to wait on His “lovingkindness.” Ver. 10 is a reminiscence of Psalm 33:16, 17, and ver. 11 of the next verse of the same psalm. (Maclaren, A. (1903). The Psalms. In W. Robertson Nicoll (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible: Psalms to Isaiah (Vol. 3, p. 339). Hartford, CT: S.S. Scranton Co.)
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Ver. 11. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, &c.] With a filial and godly fear; that serve and worship him, privately and publicly, with reverence and love: as appears by the goodness he lays up for them; the good things he communicates to them; the discoveries of his love, covenant, and grace, they have from him; the guard he sets about them; his eye of providence and grace over them; and his heart full of love, pity, and compassion to them; see Psal. 33:18. In those that hope in his mercy; not general, but special; not in the absolute mercy of God, but as displayed in Christ; and great encouragement there is to hope in it, from the plenty of it in his heart, from the instances of it among men, and from the blessings of grace and salvation that spring from it: and in such the Lord takes pleasure; hope is his own grace, and mercy is his delight; and he is pleased with those that exercise hope upon it: not that the graces of fear and hope, and the exercise of them, are the cause and motives of God’s delight in his people, which, as they were considered in Christ, was before the world was, or those graces were in them; but these describe and point out the persons who are openly and manifestly the objects of his delight and pleasure. Plutarch, an Heathen writer, seems to have been acquainted with this and the preceding verse, and to refer to them, when he says, “it is somewhere said, that God is not a lover of horses, nor of birds, but of men, and desires to dwell with those that are eminently good; nor does he refuse nor despise the familiar converse of a man divine and wise.” (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 4, p. 317). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
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11. “The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.” While the bodily powers give no content to God, spiritual qualities are his delight. He cares most for those emotions which centre in himself: the fear which he approves is fear of him, and the hope which he accepts is hope in his mercy. It is a striking thought that God should not only be at peace with some kinds of men, but even find a solace and a joy in their company. Oh! the matchless condescension of the Lord, that his greatness should take pleasure in the insignificant creatures of his hand. Who are these favoured men in whom Jehovah takes pleasure? Some of them are the least in his family, who have never risen beyond hoping and fearing. Others of them are more fully developed, but still they exhibit a blended character composed of fear and hope: they fear God with holy awe and filial reverence, and they also hope for forgiveness and blessedness because of the divine mercy. As a father takes pleasure in his own children, so doth the Lord solace himself in his own beloved ones, whose marks of new birth are fear and hope. They fear, for they are sinners; they hope, for God is merciful. They fear him, for he is great; they hope in him, for he is good. Their fear sobers their hope; their hope brightens their fear: God takes pleasure in them both in their trembling and in their rejoicing.
Is there not rich cause for praise in this special feature of the divine character? After all, it is a poor nature which is delighted with brute force; it is a diviner thing to take pleasure in the holy character of those around us. As men may be known by the nature of the things which give them pleasure, so is the Lord known by the blessed fact that he taketh pleasure in the righteous, even though that righteousness is as yet in its initial stage of fear and hope. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 120-150 (Vol. 6, pp. 417–418). London; Edinburgh; New York: Marshall Brothers.)
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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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Paul urges us to have his perspective: “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (v. 21).
INSIGHT
With Paul’s perspective on life, he cannot lose. Wherever he is, Paul considers it “the world” into which the Lord wants him to go to preach the Gospel. Even prison is a positive experience for Paul, because he is able to spread the Gospel there. And if he is to die, that is even better. To live is fruitful ministry, but to die is gain. Most of us have our affections too deeply implanted in the things of this world to identify with his perspective. We must learn to let go. (QuietWalk)
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LOOK FORWARD IN ANTICIPATION
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8
As we believe the message of the Gospel, we are translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of God’s dear Son. He is building up His own kingdom; he is drawing men and women unto Himself out of the world; He is going on with the work. He is in glory seated at the right hand of God, and He must reign until His enemies shall be made His footstool. He is going on until the number of the elect shall have been gathered in. And when that has happened, He will come again. He will return into this world as King and Lord, and He will finally finish the work. He will come with a mighty sword, and not only evil and sin but Satan himself and all his cohorts shall be cast into the lake of fire and will finally be banished from the sight of God for all eternity. And our guarantee of all this is the glorious fact of the resurrection: He “was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
Remember then what He has already destroyed, and look forward in anticipation; the blessed hope that faces us as Christian people is that He will destroy these works of the devil utterly, completely, and finally. Evil and sin will be finally destroyed out of existence, burnt, destroyed forever. God shall be all and in all, and if we are in the army of the mighty Victor who has already risen from the grave and thereby conquered death, if we belong to Him, we shall behold that final judgment of Satan, and we shall dwell for all eternity in a perfect state with no sin and no sorrow, with no sighing and no tears.
A Thought to Ponder: We shall dwell for all eternity in a perfect state with no sin and no sorrow, with no sighing and no tears. (From Children of God, p. 69, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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Jephthah’s Daughter
“Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” (Judges 11:31)
The story of Jephthah has been a stumbling block to many who interpret it as teaching that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter to God as a burnt offering. As he prepared to face the Ammonite armies, he made the vow recorded in our text, if God would only give him the victory. His only child, a beloved daughter, was then first to meet him at his return, and so it was she who had to be offered.
It should be remembered, however, that Jephthah was a man of true faith (Hebrews 11:32-33), and he would never have vowed to disobey God’s prohibition against human sacrifice. The problem is that the Hebrew conjunction waw (translated “and” in our text) is very flexible in meaning depending on context. Here, “or” is better than “and.”
That is, Jephthah vowed that whatever first came out to meet him would be dedicated to the Lord: If a person came out (Jephthah was probably thinking of a servant), he or she would be dedicated to God’s service at the tabernacle, as Hannah later dedicated Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11). Or if an animal from his flock came out, it would be sacrificed.
His daughter, out of love for her father and gratitude to God for His deliverance from the Ammonites, insisted her father keep his vow. Since that meant that she, as a perpetual servant at the tabernacle, could never have a husband and children, she “bewailed her virginity” (not her impending death) and then “returned to her father” so that he could keep his vow, and throughout her life “she knew no man” (Judges 11:38-39). Instead of a strange tale of human sacrifice, this is the story of the love of a God-fearing father and daughter for each other and for their Lord. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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Daily Hope
Today’s Scripture
Numbers 28-30
Sacrifices come in many forms and at various costs. It may be as simple as a child giving up a toy for another child to have an opportunity to play. As we grow older, the value of our sacrifices may increase but not necessarily the level of importance which they hold in our lives.
Israel was specifically instructed as to what were acceptable sacrifices and offerings to be presented to the Lord. A second generation of people were prepared to enter the land of promise. The required offerings were broken down according to daily, weekly, monthly, and annual contributions to the Lord.
Considering the great number of offering and sacrifices required, Moody Commentary states, “Not including the Day of Atonement sacrifices or other feast day sacrifices addressed elsewhere (e.g. First Fruits; Lev. 23), the burnt sacrifices here included 113 bulls, 37 rams, 1,093 lambs annually, as well as 30 goats for sin offering” (Moody Bible Commentary, p.254-55). The many sacrifices were from people who were already followers and were part of the covenant community of Israel.
These sacrifices were not to be misunderstood as a way of earning salvation but a catalyst to make individuals aware of their sins and the separation between a holy God and man. Each time a sacrifice was made, the individual was dealing with their own personal sins and being restored to God. Sacrifices were not an end in themselves since God was primarily interested in the person.
An individual who brought the right sacrifices with a heart far from God, would never please Him. Repeatedly in the Scripture, it is stated that God is more interested in the person’s heart than the sacrifices they make (Gen.4:1-8; Ps. 40:6-8; Isa. 1:10-18; Micah 6:6-8). Also, in Hosea, it is recorded, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). This verse is recounted by Matthew in 9:13 & 12:7.
There is a cost to sacrifice. The Old Testament sacrifices and offerings pointed forward to not only Christ’s death (Hebrews 9:26), but also to believers being daily living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Let us examine ourselves before the Lord and be prepared to sacrificially present ourselves to Him in our leisure, labors, and language.
With an Expectant Hope,
Pastor Miller
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Jesus is betrayed and arrested.
INSIGHT
Peter is living and reassuring proof that “grace is greater than all our sin.” We struggle, at one time or another, with things in our lives that ought to be corrected but aren’t. We fear that our lives bring a stench to God’s nostrils because we have failed Him so often. But Peter began to curse and swear and deny that he ever knew Jesus. What a colossal sin! Yet, just a few days later (in John 21), Peter is eating with the Lord in perfect fellowship and harmony.
For the Christian, there is no sin so great that God will not forgive. (Quiet Walk)
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THE OFFENSE OF THE CROSS
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. 1 Corinthians 1:23
The test of whether someone is teaching the cross rightly or wrongly is whether it is an offense to the natural man or not. If my preaching of this cross is not an offense to the natural man, I am misrepresenting it. If it is something that makes him say “how beautiful,” “how wonderful,” “what a tragedy,” “what a shame,” I have not been preaching the cross truly. The preaching of the cross is an offense to the natural man. So it becomes the test of any man’s preaching.
Or let me put it in terms of the congregation. If this element of offense in the cross has never appeared to you, or if you have never felt it, then I say that you likewise have never known the truth about the cross of Christ. If you have never reacted against it and felt that it is an offense for you, I say you have never known it. It is always an offense to the natural man. Invariably, there is no exception. So if you have never felt it, you have never seen it because you are a natural man. Nobody is born a Christian into this world. We have to be born again to become Christians, and as long as we are natural men and women, the cross is an offense.
So if we have never known this element of offense, either we have not seen it or we have had some misrepresentation of it. The cross is an offense to the mind of the natural man. It cuts across all his preconceived notions and ideas. It was a stumbling block to the Jews for this reason. They were expecting a Messiah to destroy the Roman conquerors. So when they found the One who claimed to be the Messiah dying in apparent weakness upon the cross, they were deeply wounded and offended.
A Thought to Ponder
As long as we are natural men and women, the cross is an offense.
(From The Cross, pp. 45-46., by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
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God has a plan for humanity and it will be fulfilled. His purpose is to redeem a people for His Son. And the Son already offered and delivered the price of the rescue. One condition they put. “Believe in me and I will give you eternal life.” “They dwell in me and bear much fruit.” There are so many promises that I came for in the name of God. But it must be with an indivisible heart. A contrite and humble heart. Regretful heart with the plea to be restored. The Lord will fulfill His purpose no matter what. But we cannot belong to the world and want to have a part in God. God doesn’t accept that. THINK ABOUT IT!!!!! (Sol Ibarra -Mexico)
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