I Chronicles 9
All Israel in captivity because of transgressionverse 1
So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies – and – behold
they were written in the book of the
kings of Israel and Judah
who were carried away to Babylon
for their transgression
Exile list summaryverses 2-3
Now the first inhabitants that dwelt in their possessions
in their cities were the Israelites
the priests – the Levites – the Nethinims
And in Jerusalem dwelt of the children of Judah
and of the children of Benjamin
and of the children of
Ephraim and Manasseh
Returning of tribe of Judahverses 4-6
Uthai the son of Ammihud – Omri – Imri – Bani
of the children of Pharez the son of Judah
and of the Shilonites = Asaiah
the firstborn and his sons
and of the sons of Zerah = Jeuel
and their brethren
six hundred and ninety
Returning of tribe of Benjaminverses 7-9
And the sons of Benjamin – Sallu
the son of Meshullam – Hodaviah Hasenuah
Ibneiah – Jeroham – Elah – Uzzi – Michri
Meshullam – Shephatiah – Reuel
Ibnijah
and their brethren according to their generations
nine hundred and fifty and six
All these men were chief of the fathers in the
house of their fathers
Returning priestsverses 10-13
And of the priests = Jedaiah – Jehoiarib – Jachin
Azariah the son of Hilkiah – Meshullam – Zadok
Meraioth – Ahitub – the ruler of the house of God
Adaiah the son of Jeroham – Pashur
Malchijah – Maasiai – Adiel
Jahzerah – Meshullam – Meshillemith
Immer
And their brethren- heads of the house of their fathers
a thousand and seven hundred and threescore
very able men for the work of the service
of the house of God
Returning Levitesverses 14-16
And of the Levites = Shemaiah the son of Hasshub
Azrikam –Hashabiah – Merari – Bakbakkar
Heresh – Galal – Mattaniah – Micah – Zichri
Asaph – Obadiah – Shemaiah – Galal – Jeduthun
Berechiah – Asa – Elkanah – that dwelt in the
villages of the Netophathites
Returning gatekeepersverses 17-21
And the porters were = Shallum –Akkub – Talmon – Ahiman
and their brethren – Shallum was the chief
who hitherto waited in the king’s gate eastward
they were porters in the companies of
the children of Levi
and Shallum the son of Kore- Ebiasaph – Korah
and his brethren of the house of his father
the Korahites – were over the work of the service
keepers of the gates of the tabernacle
and their fathers
being over the host of the LORD
were keepers of the entry
And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the ruler over them
in time past and the LORD was with him
And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was
porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation
Gatekeepers guarded the entrance to Templeverses 22-25
All these which were chosen to be porters in the gates were
two hundred and twelve
These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages
whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain
in their set office
So they and their children had the oversight of the gates of the
house of the LORD – namely – the house of the tabernacle
by wards in four quarters were the porters
toward the east-west-north-south
and their brethren which were in their villages
were to come after seven days from time to time
with them
Chief porters over treasuryverses 26-27
FOR these Levites – the four chief porters – were in their set office
and were over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God
and they lodged round about the house of God
BECAUSE the charge was upon them
and the opening thereof every morning
pertained to them
Other responsibilities of gatekeepersverses 28-32
And certain of them had the charge of ministering vessels
that they should bring them in and out by tale
Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels
and all the instruments of the sanctuary – and the
fine flour – wine – oil – frankincense – spices
Some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices
And Mattithiah – one of the Levites
who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite
had the set office over the things
that were made in the pans
And other of their brethren of the sons of the Kohathites
were over the showbread – to prepare it every Sabbath
Musiciansverse 33
These are the singers – chief of the fathers of the Levites
who remaining in the chambers were free
for they were employed in that work day and night
Chief fathers dwelt in Jerusalemverse 34
These chief fathers of the Levites were chief throughout
their generations these dwelt at Jerusalem
King Saul’s relativesverses 35-44
And in Gibeon dwelt the father of Gibeon – Jehiel
whose wife’s name was Maachah
and his firstborn son Abdon
then Zur – Kish – Baal – Ner
Nadab – Gedor – Ahio
Zechariah – Mikloth
and Mikloth begat Shimeam
And they also dwelt with their brethren at Jerusalem
over against their brethren and Ner begat Kish
and Kish begat Saul – and Saul begat Jonathan
Malchi-shua – Abinadab – Esh-baal
And the son of Jonathan was Merib-baal
and Merib-baal begat Micah
and the sons of Micah were Pithon – Melech
Tahrea – Ahaz
and Ahaz begat Jarah – and Jarah begat Alemeth
Azmaveth – Zimri – and Zimri begat Moza
and Moza begat Binea and Rephaiah his son
Eleasah his son – Azel his son
And Azel had six sons whose names are these
Azrikam – Bocheru – Ishmael – Sheariah – Obadiah
Hanan – these are the sons of Azel
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and behold, they were written in the book of kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon their transgression. (3187 “reckoned by genealogies” [yachas] means be enrolled, registered formally, males whose names were on the list, pedigree, registration, relationship, or family)
DEVOTION: There is a list of those who were related to each other as well as to a tribe as well as to a nation. The nation of Israel thought it was important to make sure of the family history of each individual to give them their proper inheritance after the captivity was over.
Sometimes there was missing relationships that caused problems for some who knew who they were related to but the proper list could not be found and there was a loss of evidence as to their family history.
When we come to the end times there is a list written called the Book of Life that will be opened in heaven to see if your name is written in the Book of Life. If it is not found there it means that you have never made a personal commitment to the LORD that was genuine. There will be people standing before the LORD who will say “Haven’t I done many wonderful works in YOUR name” to the LORD and HE will say I never knew you. It will be a time of reckoning.
Someone asked me recently: Won’t everyone that goes to church be in heaven? I answered NO!! I told her that there are many people who are religious but have never make a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. They are going through the motions but there is nothing in their heart. It is all external. Once they leave the church building they live as they please and it is not to please the LORD. They seem to think that good works will get them into heaven. They are wrong.
Your family history with the LORD starts when you make that personal commitment to follow and then do it. The LORD knows who will make this commitment and HE knows if it is genuine. Our inheritance for eternity is based on this genuine commitment.
Don’t base your belief on being religious. Base it on a heart change to serve the LORD faithfully.
CHALLENGE: Know that being related to a tribe could be lost but being in the Book of Life is recorded right now. Don’t delay your commitment
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 13 And their brethren, heads of the house of their fathers, a thousand and seven hundred and three-score; very able men for work of the service of the house of God. (381 “very able men” [’Iysh-Chayil] means valiant men, mighty men, exceptional or heroic courage when facing danger, especially in battle, efficiency, physical strength, noble character)
DEVOTION: This is an important list as those found on it would serve the LORD in a rebuilt Temple after captivity. These priests were only part of the priests that returned but they were the ones who took their responsibility seriously. There were many priests who came back from the Babylonian captivity that didn’t serve the LORD faithfully.
We can have a gift or calling to serve the LORD but we have to keep working on being faithful in our duties to the LORD. Sometimes it is easy to give up than to continue serving the LORD. Some of these priests that returned wanted to just move into the Promised Land again and just serve themselves.
Service is never easy when it comes to giving your all to the LORD. Sometimes there are people who don’t want to hear about their responsibility to serve HIM. So the priests had the responsibility to remind them that the LORD expected everyone to be faithful in their service to the LORD even though they have just returned from a challenge in their life that they didn’t think the LORD should have allowed.
We are never to stop serving the LORD no matter what HE allows in our life. Captivity is no fun when you can’t truly worship the LORD in a heathen land. Once you return to a spot where you can receive the blessings of the LORD you have to serve with gladness for HIS allowing you to have another opportunity in your service to HIM.
HE will bless your faithfulness just like HE blessed those priests who were faithful to HIM when they returned from Babylon. Are you ministering in the house of the LORD each week? Are you establishing a proper walk with the LORD today?
Today it seems like it is getting harder and harder to be faithful to the LORD in our society but that is what must be happening even it others are not keeping the standard of the Word of God in their daily walk with the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Ask the LORD what HE expects of you and DO IT!!!
: 22 And these which were chosen to be porters in the gates where two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer did ordain in their set office. (3245 [yacad] means establish, lay a foundation, to assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to someone, destine, appoint, or determine)
DEVOTION: These individuals were assigned the task of guarding the threshold of the Temple. They were not to allow anyone to enter the Temple area that was not properly allowed because of the standard the LORD had set for those who were able to enter to worship HIM. It was an important assignment because there would be individuals who would want to come to the Temple who were not ceremonially clean.
There were gatekeepers assigned to make sure that the king was entering the Temple properly. He could be turned away if he was not in proper relationship with the LORD.
Phinehas is mentioned because he kept those who worshiped Baal out of the Tabernacle area in the book of Numbers. The LORD wanted HIS place of worship to be one that everyone entering honored HIM alone.
Purity of worship was important to the LORD then and it still is today. HE has given instructions throughout the New Testament what had to happen if we are truly worshiping the LORD when we enter HIS church.
In one of the services that I attended there was a clown who entered the church to disrupt the service. He thought his actions would hinder those who wanted to truly worship the LORD but the leaders of the church escorted him out of the building before he could be any more disruptive as he tried to use his clown horn in the service.
Too often we find people entering our meetings that are not there to truly worship the LORD. They are there for other reasons. If they are not believers they should be able to hear a good Gospel message about their need to have a personal relationship with the LORD. Those who come in should also hear a good message of growth in the LORD. It hard to make sure that each service presents the truth of the Word of God so that genuine believers are challenged to grow in their relationship to the LORD and those who don’t know the LORD can know what it will take to become a genuine believer and not just someone who is religious.
The proper actions of church ushers is very important in keeping the worship service moving in the right direction as people can be disruptive in their motives at the wrong time. These are the present day gatekeepers in many churches.
CHALLENGE: When the worship service in a local church is done with few interruptions in the pews the Word of the LORD can be proclaimed, so that, a proper response to the message can be given.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 27 And they lodged round about the house of God, because the charge was on them, and the opening thereof every morning pertained to them. (3885 “lodged” [luwn] means to abide, remain, to spend the night, to pass the nighttime, often in regard to an activity, or location)
DEVOTION: This was something that was done to keep the workers close to their work. It was important to make sure that the house of God was taken care of properly and one way for this to happen was for the workers to live close to the house of God.
It used to be that the parsonage was close to the church. They were usually next door to each other. If someone needed to see the pastor it was easy to find him as he was right next to the church.
Today we find that pastors are buying their houses and usually they are a distance from the church. This might seem like a good idea but it causes travel time for the pastor and it is not always easy to see the pastor if it is an emergency.
The LORD had the workers close to make sure that everything was done in a timely manner. HE appointed men who could do the job that was necessary each day to keep the ministry going properly. This should be happening today as well.
Are our present servants of the LORD available to make sure that the people are cared for properly? Also is the building maintained properly throughout the week? The LORD wants everything to be done decently and in order.
This should be the goal of the pastor and the people of any church. The building should always be kept up to a standard that pleases the LORD and the parsonage should always be available for people to find in a time of need.
CHALLENGE: Is the place of worship always in the shape it should be in? Is the pastor available to make sure the people are cared for properly? Are we more worried about keeping the pastor happy rather than making sure the people are receiving the counsel they need quickly?
: 33 And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night. (6362 “free” [patar] means allow exemption or freedom from a task or obligation, release, escape or slip away)
DEVOTION: Transgression is given as the reason for the captivity of Israel and Judah. They had wandered from the LORD and HE had to get their attention for them to return to HIM.
Once they realized their need to return to HIM, HE had their captors release them to return to Jerusalem.
Each group of man had their individual responsibility. The tribe of Levi had the responsibility of the care of the house of God. Each family was given their individual set office. Each one in the family had to do their duty to the LORD.
This group of Levites, who were singers, escaped any other responsibility in the service of the tabernacle. Their only responsibility was to sing. They were on call day or night.
Singing was very important in the worship of the LORD in the Old Testament. They were provided housing for their service to the LORD. The price was right. It is not wrong to expect something in payment for service to the LORD. The priest’s payment was the sacrifices and the offering that came into the house of the LORD.
They had cities that were given to them but not a portion of land.
The Bible says that the workman is worthy of his hire. The children of Israel were to care for the tribe of Levi, which included both the priests and those who serviced the priests and the tabernacle.
Some people think that the pastor or pastors of their churches only have to work one hour a week and they can just relax the rest of the week. The ones that are lazy could do that but those who are genuine under Shephard would be busy helping the sheep with their daily struggles. Remember that Christ is the chief Shepherd. HE is the one that we need to turn to at all times.
HIS under shepherds are HIS representatives on earth. This is not the same as what the priests did in the Old Testament but it is still service. If the pastors are manifesting their gift properly, they should be properly paid.
If they take more than they need, they have to answer to the LORD. If the church pays them less than they should, the members will have to answer to the LORD.
The office of pastor/teacher is a gift from the Holy Spirit. There are many want-to-be pastors who do not have the gift of pastor/teacher and this causes problems in many churches. Only the gifted should serve in the office of pastor/teacher.
One of the positions in large churches is the Minister of Music. It is an important position as they move the service in the right direction. Music should be very important in our worship today.
Our songs have to glorify God and not us. When we sing, we need to understand the words we are singing. We are commanded to sing. If we are not singing in a worship service, we are being disobedient to the LORD. We need to always sing the right songs.
Our obligation is to use the gift the LORD has given us in HIS service. If we have the gift of music – use it. If we have the gift of pastor/teacher – use it. If we have the gift of giving – do it.
CHALLENGE: All of us have the responsibility to reach others through of gift in our local church – that is not a gift IT IS A COMMAND!!!
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)
Book of kings of Israel and Judahverse 1
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)
Priestsverses 2, 10-13
Levitesverses 2, 14-34
Porters
Work of the service
Keepers of the gate
Opening of house of God
Nethinimsverse 2
House of Godverses 11, 13, 23, 27
Tabernacleverses 19, 21, 23
Treasuries of the house of Godverse 26
Instruments of the sanctuaryverse 29
Sons of priests made the ointment of the spicesverse 30
Sabbathverse 32
Singersverse 33
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Book of the kings of Israel & Judahverse 1
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
God – Elohim (Creator)verses 11, 13, 26, 27
House of Godverses 11, 13, 26, 27
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 19, 20, 23
House of the LORDverse 23
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)
Babylonverse 1
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Transgressionverse 1
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Work of serviceverses 13, 19
LORD with Phinehasverse 20
Chosenverse 22
Seerverse 22
Ordainverse 22
Set officeverses 22, 26, 31
Chargeverses 27, 28
Appointedverse 29
Employedverse 33
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Israel was reckoned by genealogies verse 1
Returning Exilesverse 2
Children of Judahverses 3, 5, 6
Jerusalemverse 3
Children of Benjaminverses 3, 7-9
Children of Ephraimverse 3
Children of Manassehverse 3
Davidverse 22
Samuelverse 22
Saul’s descendants verses 35-44
Jonathan
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
21 Since both Meshelemiah and Zechariah served under David (26:8–11), this “Tent of Meeting” (cf. comment on 6:32) would seem to refer to the curtained form of God’s house (16:1; 17:1; cf. 22:1 and Ps 30 title) erected prior to Solomon’s permanent temple (v.19 NIV mg.). (Payne, J. B. (1988). 1, 2 Chronicles. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Vol. 4, p. 367). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
That had been his ancestors’ role even back to the time of the tabernacle when Phinehas son of Eleazar had been their supervisor (1 Chron. 9:19–20; cf. Num. 3:32). The enigmatic reference to Zechariah (1 Chron. 9:21; cf. 26:2) suggests that in Davidic times the role of the ancestors of Shallum was shared by another Levitical family whose responsibility was the gate of the Tent of Meeting (the tabernacle) proper. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Chronicles. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 602). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Ver. 21. And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah, &c.] Some think this refers to one that was in the times of David; but it seems rather to respect one that was after the Babylonish captivity, see ch. 26:1, 2. though he and his brethren were in an office established in the times of David, and the order of which was now, as then, observed: was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; who was the chief porter, and kept the door; either that led into the outer court, and kept out all unclean persons from entering there; or that which led into the court of the priests, that none but priests might enter there. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 3, p. 21). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
21 And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
To wit, in the time of David, as the following verse showeth. See chap. 26:1, 2; 27:2. Porter. i.e. chief porter. Of the door of the tabernacle, i.e. of the door which led out of the priests’ court into the tabernacle, in which the ark was placed, 2 Sam. 6:17. (Poole, M. (1853). Annotations upon the Holy Bible (Vol. 1, p. 790). New York: Robert Carter and Brothers.)
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!!)
TRUST GOD
poem by Anne R, C. Neale
Do you really and truly trust God?
And give all you worries and problems to Him?
God knows the outcome of everything,
He is God, our Lord and Savior , Amen.
When things get discombobulated
And you are stressed and worried too,
There is one thing that you must do completely ,
Trust God, He will get you through ,
Don’t panic and don’t get upset,
Pray to God to help you, you see,
Be patient, God knows every outcome,
God will help you always just put your Trust in God totally
We Can Know That We Know Him
“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.” (1 John 2:3)
The apostle John’s vocabulary in his gospel, epistles, and even in Revelation is quite distinctive. The verb “know,” for example, occurs more in John than in any other gospel, and more in 1 John than in any other epistle. He emphasizes by this that the Christian life is based on knowledge. In the words of today’s verse, for example, we can test the genuineness of our knowledge of Christ as Savior by whether or not we keep His commandments. Note some of the other tests listed in John in his first epistle.
“Ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him” (1 John 2:29). “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren” (3:14). “Hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us” (3:24). “But whoso keepeth [i.e., ‘guards’] his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him” (2:5). “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (5:13).
There are other similar “tests of life,” but these make the point. A person who has been really born again through faith in Christ and His saving work can have assurance of his salvation if he truly believes in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ; if he guards and honors God’s Word; if he manifests the presence of the guiding, purifying Holy Spirit in his life; if he keeps His commandments and lives righteously; and if he manifests real love for his Christian brethren.
This is not to say that if he fails one or more of these tests he is necessarily unsaved. There are, however, no grounds for real assurance of salvation without them. Therefore, as Paul suggests, “examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). HMM (Institute for Creation Research)
Jesus commends the church of Ephesus for the good work that they have done. Nevertheless, He commands them to repent and return to their “first love” (v. 4). Unless they seek forgiveness, they will experience the chastening of God. In the face of impending persecution, Jesus offers words of encouragement and hope to the church in Smyrna (v. 10). Addressing the church in Pergamos, our Lord warns the people not to tolerate evil. The same message is sent to the church in Thyatira. Unless they repent, Jesus warns that He will judge them quickly and severely. (Quiet Walk)
Many of us recognize how important religious freedom is in the world, but some think advocating for religious liberty compromises our Christian witness.
We’re excited to partner with our friends at the Alliance Defending Freedom in a six part series on religious liberty. It’s part of our What Would You Say? video project. Here’s the audio from the most recent video that was released just this morning.
You’re in a conversation and someone says, “Standing up for religious liberty is bad for Christian witness. After all, aren’t Christians supposed to turn the other cheek?”
Sometimes people think that Christians who advocate for religious liberty do so at the cost of their Christian witness. They assume that defending religious freedom is motivated by fear, and distracts from the Gospel. Since Christians are supposed to be fearless and self-sacrificial, doesn’t defending religious liberty compromise our Christian witness? No, and here are three reasons why.
Number one, religious freedom is not a social construct. It reflects what is true about us as humans. Religious liberty isn’t an invention of America’s Founding Fathers. It’s a pre-political God-given right. All people have the right given by God to peaceably live according to our convictions without fear of unjust punishment and restrictions from kings, presidents and city councils.
To be sure, governments don’t always recognize religious freedom, but their failure to do so only highlights that religious liberty is a natural right given by God, not a privilege given to the people by a benevolent ruler. This is part of what it means to be made in God’s image and to have the law of God written on our hearts.
We know intrinsically that to be free to worship God according to our own convictions, our neighbors need to be allowed to do the same. Even if we think they’re wrong. Standing up for religious liberty is part of our Christian witness. Religious freedom is rooted in the truth about who we are as image bearers. Telling the truth about how we were made will never get in the way of the Gospel.
Number two, religious freedom is an ancient and central part of Christian teaching, from the Apostle Paul to the Catholic catechism to the Westminster Confession, Christianity has long taught that everyone should be free to worship and share their beliefs. In fact, religious freedom shows up in the earliest teachings of the Christian church.
A third-century Church Father wrote, “It is assuredly no part of religion to compel religion.” The early fourth-century edict of Milan, issued by Christian Emperor Constantine, opened the door to statewide religious freedom by ensuring that the government could no longer demand religious conformity. These early Christian teachings are based in the words of Christ Himself, who insisted that all His followers must choose Him freely, from the bottom of their hearts. Sometimes Christian communities have failed to respect religious freedom, but that does not change the reality that religious freedom is interwoven with the basic teachings of the church. These early Christians understood that they had a sacred responsibility to uphold their neighbors’ religious freedom, and that responsibility carries over to us today.(Breakpoint)
David is anointed to be king.
INSIGHT
David is indeed an outstanding individual. As a teenager, he is known to be “skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him” (v. 18). In each of these things, David is not just lucky. David works hard at all the things for which he is known, including the fact that “the Lord is with him.”
Each of us has been given talents and abilities. Like David, if we are to achieve our God-given potential, we must be slaves to the things that advance those abilities. (Quiet Walk)
TRUE AND FALSE HAPPINESS
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Matthew 5:6
Man under the influence of alcohol may feel perfectly happy for the time being, but the question is, has he solved his problems? To place happiness before health and to regard it as the supreme good is to be guilty of a fundamental fallacy in the matter of standards.
Such unthinking procedure includes also the fallacy of failing to see that ultimately happiness depends upon health and is something that results from health. Any other type of happiness is negative and dependent only upon the absence of conditions that prevent happiness. However much we may strive to lessen our unhappiness, while there is disease, there can be no true happiness. Nothing is so fallacious, therefore, and so fatal to true happiness as to make ease and happiness ends in and of themselves.
When our Lord said, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6), he did not say that they would be happy who hungered and thirsted after happiness. The blessedness, the happiness, the joy is something that will result from our seeking righteousness and from our becoming righteous. It is a by-product, an end-result. We are not to place blessedness or happiness in the supreme position. We are to seek righteousness, and, having found it, we shall then find ourselves to be happy and filled with blessedness.
What ultimately accounts for the failure of the false prophet to think clearly is the fact that he is deliberately determined to defend himself and to think well of himself. Pride is the root cause of the trouble. The view of the false prophet starts with the postulate that whatever else may be the cause of the troubles in life, it is not man himself.
A Thought to Ponder: The blessedness, the happiness, the joy is something that will result from our seeking righteousness and from our becoming righteous.
(From Truth Unchanged, Unchanging, pp. 48-50, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Jesus Is the Savior
“But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:10)
For centuries, the message of the gospel was presented in drama through the sacrificial system instituted through Moses. Obviously, Moses did not invent the concept of an innocent blood sacrifice. God Himself performed the initial “atonement” when He made coverings for Adam and Eve with the skins of animals that the Creator Himself killed and prepared for them (Genesis 3:21).
Abel brought the “more excellent sacrifice,” but Cain tried “another gospel” and was rejected (Genesis 4:3-5). After the Flood, “Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar” (Genesis 8:20). Abraham and Jacob offered animal sacrifices to the Lord in recognition of their subservience to Him and in obedience to the instructions they were given (Genesis 12:7; 46:1).
When Moses received the law from the hand of God on Mount Sinai, the entire system of sacrifices was centered around a male “lamb without blemish” (Leviticus 1:10; 23:12). This was the Passover Lamb that became the symbol of God’s deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt (Exodus 12:21) and was directly applied to the Lord Jesus as “our passover” who was “sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7).
Of all the names given to the Lord Jesus, it is the Lamb title that stands out so strongly when referencing the sacrifice He made. John the Baptist called out, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and it is the “Lamb that was slain” who is worthy to “receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Revelation 5:12).
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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