Month: September 2024

And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD–Will-Provide;
as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.
Genesis 22:14

Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. When God told him to go to the land of Moriah to sacrifice his son, Isaac, Abraham said, “Yes, sir” and got ready for the three day journey. Arriving at the bottom of the opposite hill, the old man unloaded the donkeys and left them with the servants. As Isaac was carrying up the equipment, he became curious. He turned to his dad and asked, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham’s answer was, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:7,8).

When they got to the top, the Angel of the LORD had to stop Abraham from obeying God. When Abraham looked up from the altar, he saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. God had indeed provided the substitute offering.

At that point, Abraham names the place The-LORD–Will-Provide. This name in the Old King James Version is “Jehovah Jirah” and the God’s Word Translation calls it “Yahweh Yirah.” It’s easy to tell in these versions that it is a name of God.

Both Jews and Muslims acknowledge that Mount Moriah is the site of the temple mount. Originally, Solomon’s temple was there, and after it was destroyed, the second temple was built. Again, it was burnt down, and this time the Dome of the Rock Mosque was constructed. This piece of real estate is considered holy by Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

It’s interesting that, according to the Bible, Abraham was sent to the land of Moriah, where God would show him the exact place to offer his sacrifice. Old-time gospel preachers routinely proclaimed that the place was actually Mount Calvary, which lies only a quarter mile from Mount Moriah.

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He is also the Angel of the LORD who provided the ram for Abraham. Most of all, He is Yahweh Yirah, The-LORD–Will-Provide.

June 9

…who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:3

In a famous sermon illustration, a little girl comes home from Sunday school and starts to draw a picture. “What are you doing?” asks Mom.

“I’m drawing a picture of God,” replied the little voice.

Mother responded, “Nobody knows what God looks like.”

“Well, they will after they see my picture,” the girl said with confidence.

Humans are hardwired to get in touch with their Creator. This drive often takes wrong turns toward false religions that superficially cover that longing. Most Americans would jump at the chance to see God, if it would take 10 minutes or less and cost little or nothing. Others sometimes call themselves atheists and ignore or repress that drive, but that usually leads to feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, or frustration. For this reason, idols and images became popular, even during Adam and Eve’s lifetime. The children of Israel bowed down before golden calves and thought they were worshiping the LORD. During the Middle Ages, praying to icons and images was standard practice. Since this goes against the second commandment, it’s not the way God planned for knowing Him.

Jesus is the express image of God. This doesn’t mean that He has the same facial features as God or that He is a small version of a gigantic human-like figure in heaven. Christ was a living, breathing object lesson that demonstrated the character of God. His words, actions, and attitudes reveal to us the true and living God, so much so that He could say, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also” (John 8:19).

It’s interesting that one reason Christ came to save mankind was that we would be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29). In Genesis 1:27 “God created man in His own image,” but the resemblance was marred by sin. Now, through Christ, we can be conformed to the image of the Express Image of God.

June 8

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 4:10

Gifts and excitement go together – or at least they do if the gift is done right. Anticipation is a key element. Wrapping paper and ribbon turn an ordinary object into a present. Secrecy adds suspense, and that makes it special.

What distinguishes the best gifts from the ordinary ones is the love, thoughtfulness, and effort that go into choosing them. The giver somehow knows what you desire or need when you yourself don’t. It is carefully selected with you in mind, and that makes the gift personal.

The really great gifts you can’t afford for yourself. Window shoppers do it all the time; they look at things they could never really afford and imagine what it would be like to have one of their very own. Every so often, it actually happens: Someone gets you that thing you wanted so much but always dismissed as unattainable.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17). God knows a lot more about gift-giving than people do. Heaven buzzed with fervent expectancy for hundreds of years before the Gift of God was finally given. Prophets dropped hints about this perfect gift, but no one guessed what it really was.

“The gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Sinners need a Savior, and this sinful world was clueless about it. People wanted to go to heaven but couldn’t get there because sinners can’t get in. Jesus gives us what we want and need. He makes us new creations; the old, bad stuff is all gone; everything is fresh and new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Our salvation cost more than anyone on earth could ever afford “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold … but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

 

June 7

…where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free,
but Christ is all and in all.
Colossians 3:11

What are the things that really matter in this life? Power? Great wealth? Fame? Social standing? Houses? Cars? Electronic gadgets? The truth is that none of these are worth diddily squat at the Great White Throne judgment. All the great men and women of human history would trade it all away in a heartbeat if they could just get their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

True believers are the ones who really get it. Christ is all in all and nothing else really matters. The apostle Paul put it this way: “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

To make this idea a little more contemporary, missionary martyr Jim Elliot once said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” True; all very true, but most Christians don’t really live it.

Sadder yet, all that stuff clutters things up and separates believers from each other. Social status, nationality, cultural background, and educational levels divide Christians for whom Christ shed His blood. Divisions seem more justifiable when we can call them “doctrinal differences.” We become proud that we are right and those “weaker brothers” are wrong.

Paul says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). The Lord is trying to get through to His sleepy church in these last days, wanting them to focus on what’s important.

“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22, 23).

June 6

Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary?
And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?
Matthew 13:55

This simple verse reveals volumes about Christ’s childhood and upbringing. When the people of Nazareth saw Jesus teaching, healing, and doing amazing things, they were surprised and didn’t expect it. They recognized Him as the carpenter’s son but hadn’t taken much notice of Him. They didn’t take much notice of Joseph, either, other than knowing him as the guy who fixed broken furniture.

Mark 6:3 tells us that Jesus had Himself been a carpenter, a trade He obviously learned from His step-dad. It’s assumed that the creator of trees spent many long hours learning to work with wood. Children from richer families would have spent more years in the synagogue school and could have been discipled to become a rabbi. The carpenter’s son, on the other hand, would have been expected to work in the wood shop most of the day, sharpening tools and preparing lumber.

By age 30, Jesus was a master craftsman, but He left it all to begin his preaching ministry. I like that. Christ was able to earn a working man’s wage and had a skill that took years to develop. In other words, He had firsthand experience in the basics of making a living and had a message that everyday folks could identify with.

I was a school teacher for five years before going to the mission field, and I’ve had other jobs ranging from flipping hamburgers to mixing mortar. It definitely prepared me for serving the Lord. People who work hard to survive really don’t want to be preached at by someone who has never gotten his hands dirty. They need someone who is strong enough to lift their burden and carry the load.

Jesus reached the masses, the poor, and the needy. He wasn’t like other rabbis or the higher-ups in the religious community. He ruffled their feathers because He didn’t seem refined or cultured like them. After all, He was only the Carpenter’s Son.

June 5

The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the  LORD and against His Anointed.
Psalms 2:2
…The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor;
Luke 4:18

This title is a “threefer.” The one original Hebrew word is translated three different ways into English. The base word is “anointed,” but it is also translated as “Messiah” or “Christ,” depending on the context.

To be anointed means to have oil poured on one’s head in a public ceremony. This was done to ordain priests, coronate kings, and designate prophets. Christ was anointed by God for all of these positions; “Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Hebrews 1:9).

The Hebrew word for “anointed” or “anointed one” is “Mashiach,” which is written as “Messiah” in English. This was God’s special chosen one who wasn’t anointed with oil, but with the Holy Spirit. Every prophet, priest, and king in the Old Testament was a mashiach. However, God’s special One was the Mashiach, the Messiah.

When 70 Hebrew scholars translated the Old Testament into Greek, the word “mashiach” became “christos,” and then “Christ” in English. The dispersed Jewish people built their synagogues all around the Greek-speaking world and taught interested Gentiles about the God of the universe and His promised Christ who was to come.

In our day and age we really don’t get the concept of anointing. We think, “Yuck! Who would want to get all greasy like that?” But in the Middle East, oil was also used as a part of a healing process. In a land that is hot and dry, skin and hair become dull and scaly; oil poured out is refreshing and gives the body softness and shine.

Jesus is the Messiah of the Old Testament and the Christ of the New because, for us, He became God’s Anointed.

March 13

He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…
Isaiah 53:3

He was born in a barn because there was no room for Him anywhere else. Poverty demanded that only the minimal religious offering be made at His dedication. He grew up being gossiped about, because He was thought to be illegitimate. But they didn’t know the truth; they didn’t know Him.

He healed the blind, the lame, and those with incurable diseases, but wasn’t paid for His services. He often slept outside because He owned no house or even the money for a night’s lodging. He had a group of close followers, but one was a traitor and the rest abandoned Him to His enemies.

He was a rejected king, without an army and without a following. His soul felt troubled, weighed down by the seriousness of His mission, yet He didn’t weep for Himself. When He saw the city of His execution, He wept for the lost and deceived folks inside.

This Man of Sorrows endured the cross and despised the shame because of the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2)– the joy of finally wiping away every tear from the cheek of fallen man.

“Man of Sorrows” what a name
For the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

-Philip P. Bliss (1838-1876)

June 3

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say,
“Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”
Luke 7:34*

Criticism – Who can escape it? Not even the perfect man was free from the critical eye and negative comment. Some critics judged Christ for the company he kept and assumed that He was over-eating and getting drunk. After all, that’s what they would have done, given the same opportunity.

Externals – Superficial things can become very important in any society. Setting a fork to the left of the plate is neither right nor wrong in itself, but can be used as a measure to discern who is cultured and who is not. The socially elite spurned the Lord Jesus for being at the wrong party. They weren’t seeking truth; they were seeking faults.

Pride – The desire to look good and feel important is the source of every malicious remark and sarcastic comment. It fuels envy and prejudice and opposes the Savior. No wonder God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).

Example – The Lord was misunderstood for being a friend of sinners. When disciples imitate their Master who showed love to the unlovely, they too are put down and criticized. However, what can be better than having the heart and mind of Christ?

*see also Matthew 11:19

June 2

Then God [Elohim] said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” … So God [Elohim] created man in His own image; in the image of God [Elohim]
He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 1:26-27*

The deity of Christ, far from being an obscure doctrine, permeates the Bible, beginning in chapter one. Elohim, the Hebrew word most commonly translated as “God” in the Old Testament, clearly communicates the concept of the Holy Trinity.

The word denotes “Mighty One,” but its grammar also envelopes the idea of plurality within unity. Some English words have similar structure. If someone requested a pair of pants and some scissors, it would be clear that he wanted one of each, even though these words are grammatically plural.

The universe is not run by a committee or a board of directors. It is controlled by the one true God, Elohim (Deuteronomy 6:4).

The one Almighty God is expressed to us in three persons. God the Father fills every cubic inch of the universe (Psalm 139:1-16). God the Son is the Most High revealed in physical human form (1 John 5:20). God the Spirit is the special presence of the Holy One in the lives of believers (Romans 8:9).

Just as I can be a brother, father, and husband all at the same time, Elohim relates to His creation in distinct ways without being divided Himself. One person of God is not the same as the others, yet one manifestation certainly cannot deny the existence of the rest. There is more to Elohim than a narrow view of God.

*Elohim is used over 2,500 times in the Old Testament

June 1

Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, “God with us.“
Matthew 1:23

The given name on my birth certificate is “Richard”; it means “strong leader.” My wife’s name is “Carol” which means “manly” or “strong.” Now, if you told me what your personal name means, I probably wouldn’t care. There’s usually not a lot of correlation between people and what their names are supposed to mean.

Immanuel is Hebrew for “God With Us.” That’s not what it means; it is the phrase all sounded out. But you wouldn’t know that if you didn’t know Hebrew. It is a description, not a name.

People who want others to know the meaning of their child’s name often use an English word for their moniker such as “Faith,” “Hope,” or “Huckleberry.”

Even so, putting a label on someone is no guarantee that they’ll live up to expectations.

Starting in the 1990’s, hundreds of baby girls in this country have been named “Unique.” Since that name caught on, now none of them are. Even with over 30 variations of spelling (which includes Uneek, Euneke, and U’niq) a person’s name usually is a classifier and not a describer.

The New Testament has been translated into more than 2,000 languages. In each case, Matthew 1:23 contains a transliteration of the word “Immanuel”; the name is converted to the script of the native tongue so that it can be sounded out to something that resembles Immanuel in English. That text might be Spanish, Arabic, or Mandarin, but the result is mostly the same; the reader comes across a hard to pronounce Bible name that means nothing to him.

But then comes the translation “God With Us” and its understood. It doesn’t matter if the person is an Eskimo from north of the Arctic Circle or an Aborigine from Australia; it’s explained to them in their own language. Jesus Christ is “God With Us.”

May 31