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And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS
AND LORD OF LORDS.
Revelation 19:16*

The Bible is the full revelation of God to His people, so that all those who love the Lord also love His Word. I’m not surprised at the great and precious things that I find fresh and new every time I read the Word, even though I’ve gone through “The Book” many times before.

One thing that does surprise me is some of the stuff that has gotten in. God’s written down some things that don’t seem very important to me and I don’t know how to process it. Take Genesis 36, for example, where the genealogy of Esau is given. These men became chieftains and kings of Edom, dozens of them, all with names that are hard to pronounce. These kings lived and reigned long before Israel ever got to their Promised Land and since Edom was later cursed by God, no descendants of that nation exist today. I mean, really, who cares? Obviously, God does, because He wrote it down in His book.

God keeps a lot of lists. Just read First Chronicles. There are lists of Levites, priests, singers, and doorkeepers. In heaven, there’s a list of every person’s sins and the Lamb’s Book of Life catalogs all those going to heaven. Somewhere in all that paperwork of heaven is a complete listing of all the kings that ever lived on earth. Since every king ultimately receives his power and authority from God, one day they’ll have to settle accounts with Him.

At the Great White Throne, there will be kings of Edom, Rome, Greece, Persia, and Babylon. Every monarch that ever lived will be present and, when the signal is given, every one of them will bow the knee and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. All the proud and mighty will humble themselves before the true King of kings.

* see also 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14.

May 30

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

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

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

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35*

Americans are taught in school to work with metaphors. High school English classes distinguish between the literal and figurative, and the real and symbolic. In reading the verse above, no one would think that Jesus was made out of flour or that people ate Him. Obviously, Jesus gives spiritual life to the soul just as food gives physical life to the body.

This concept is not so easy to communicate in a primative culture. Among the Quichua Indians of the Amazon rain forest the figurative and abstract doesn’t exist. Years ago, I spent many hours trying to prepare a message on this portion of scripture. It became even more difficult when read in context with John 6:51: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

I understood that faith was taking Christ into our lives, just as we take in physical nutrients when we eat, but how could I get this message through to a stone-aged people? I just bowed my head, thanked the Lord that I wasn’t a missionary to cannibals, and started working on another message.

Months later, I was at the Quichua Bible Conference in Conambo. Since it was the biggest social event of the year, hundreds of Indians traveled for many days up river or over a jungle trail to get there. The men of Conambo had filled a shed full of baskets of smoked monkey meat, wild boar, and fish. Huge pots of chicha (masticated, fermented manioc root) were ready for drinking throughout the day. At night the thatched roof church building was packed to overflowing as Quichua preachers shared the gospel and I fired up a portable generator to show a Christian film. The meetings during the day were different. A dozen old ladies, two old men and a sprinkling of children were spread out in the big church hut. All the men and most of the families were still hanging around the kitchen eating jungle meat and drinking chicha.

On the third day of the conference, attendance to the morning sessions was worse and I said to myself in frustration, “When these people seek after Jesus as much as they seek after food, they will start to have real faith.” In an instant, I finally understood John chapter 6. When Christ becomes as important to us as our necessary food, He becomes our Bread of Life.

May 17 

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

Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.
1 Peter 2:4*

Human life is precious. They say you can’t put a dollar value on it, yet judges and lawyers do it all the time in wrongful death cases. They’re worth millions.

Precious gems are also worth a lot of money. Diamonds in the rough look a lot like blobs of melted glass or chunks of rock salt yet a small bag of diamonds can buy a hundred truckloads of salt and still have money left over; they are just that precious.

Some things are so precious they’re priceless. Some works of art can never be replaced and yet if you know the right people, they can tell you how much they are insured for.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the most precious entity in the universe. “There is no salvation in any other” (Acts 4:12); there’s also no real hope, peace, or joy outside of Him. If Christ didn’t come to die as a substitute for sin, we’d all still be lost and separated from God. No amount of faith, obedience, silver or gold could do what He has already done. Since absolutely nothing else can do or be what the Savior is, the best that can be said is that He is Precious.

Every year, news sources have stories about how masterpieces and rare antiques are sold at garage sales for a pittance. The reader usually has some envy of the buyer and feels sorry for the seller for failing to see the value of what he or she had. A sadder story is repeated a million times a day as the Incarnate Creator comes to his creation and is rejected by men. They don’t have a clue that He is Precious.

*see also John 6:48 

May 18

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

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him.
Isaiah 53:2

Desert plants survive in conditions that would kill any plant in the garden. They thrive on less than 10 inches of rain per year, stand up to 110 degrees of direct sunlight and blistering sandstorms with regular frequency. They were designed to grow in these extreme conditions, endowed with such features as needles, scaly leaves, thick waxy skins, and deep woody roots. The plants themselves are usually short to the ground with gnarled limbs and heavy taproots. Ornamentals they are not, but as works of plant engineering they are marvelous.

The children of Israel were certainly familiar with desert shrubs. In the treeless area of the world, they were often chopped up for firewood including the roots which were exposed by the shifting sand. This was not lumber for houses or furniture. It was fuel that was burned and its ash scattered.

Like the desert root, Isaiah tells us that when the Messiah came he had “no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). John tells us that “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1:11). How sad! Christ was consumed as a sin offering and not appreciated until it was finished.

The good news is that it’s not too late to appreciate the uniqueness of the wonderful Root Out of Dry Ground. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).

May 19

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