July Quotes

Don’t put a question mark where God put a period.

-Unknown

God does not call men to futility. Those who follow him are part of a master plan. But some tasks take more than one generation to accomplish....I know that he will give me the grace to see this through. My faith is in the One who calls and my confidence is doing what He lays before me to do. The results must be in His hands, for this task is beyond my strength.

-Pendragon, movie

Contentment is a choice. True joy is not the result of having everything I want, but of gratefully receiving exactly what God has given me....If we’re not content with what we have, we will never be content with what we think we want....The deepest needs and longings of our hearts cannot be filled by any human being, but only by God Himself....The key to joyous living is to embrace the will of God and to receive with gratitude whatever He has given us.

-Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Yes, the work was very hard, possibly the hardest that human muscles are ever called on to perform in this toiling world; but again we say that David Trevarrow did not think so, for he had been born to the work and bred to it, and was blissfully ignorant of work of a lighter kind, so that, although his brows frowned at the obstinate rock, his compressed lips smiled, and his thoughts were pleasant and far away.

-R.M. Ballantyne, "Deep Down"

Every sinner has a future; every saint has a past.

-Unknown

Of the lesser of two evils, choose neither.

-Charles Spurgeon 

O that writer and reader may be fully assured of God’s promises and embrace them: living on them, walking by faith in them, rejoicing over them, for He is faithful who has promised. Heaven and earth shall pass away before one word of His shall fail.

-A.W. Pink, "Elijah"

Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will. 

-George Mueller

If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come. 

-C. S. Lewis

Lord, whatever you want, wherever you want it, and whenever you want it, that’s what I want.

-Richard Baxter

To him that obeys well, the truth comes easy; to him who does not obey, it comes not at all, or comes in forms of fear and dismay. The true, that is the obedient man, cannot help seeing the truth, for it is the very business of his being—the natural concern of his soul.

-George MacDonald, "The Laird's Inheritance"

He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent. 

-Augustine of Hippo

David's Song of Praise

David didn't find security in his circumstances, kingdom, self-image, finances, power, friends, children, family background, or abilities. He found security in His God--a God who placed David in the line of the Messiah, and a God who fulfilled all His promises. Chosen as the king after Saul, David was perhaps an unlikely candidate for the throne--the youngest of 8 brothers. But God used him in mighty ways, regardless of his successes and failings. And David learn to trust in the God of his people, and he continued to praise God for who He was (is), and what He had done for him.

David knew the treasure of close, godly friends. He also knew the pain of confidants who turned on him. He knew what it was like when others supported him. And he knew what it was like when his sons fought amongst themselves for the throne. David knew peace and war. He knew dark sin and restoring forgiveness. He saw the power of God in creation and nature, and he knew the still small voice of conviction. He knew what it was like to be hunted, and he knew what it was like to be held in God's everlasting arms. David knew men who failed to keep promises, but he worshipped a God who kept an everlasting covenant with him.

And with that background, David wrote many of the Psalms we read today. Psalm 18 echos much of what we find in 2 Samuel 22, and as I read through David's life this week, it was a fitting conclusion to First and Second Samuel to end with David's song of praise to the Lord.

2 Samuel 22

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

(verses 2-4)

The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. 

And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them.

Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare,

at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. 

He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too might for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.

He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

(verses 14-20)

For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. 

For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.

This God--his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? 

This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless.

He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. 

He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.

(verses 29-36)

The Lord lives, and blessed by my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,

the God who gave me vengeance and brought down peoples under me, 

who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from men of violence.

For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.

Great salvation be brings to the king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.

(verses 47-51)

At the end of his song, David points to the Messiah who would later come. 

The deliverance and ultimate triumph of David foreshadow that of the coming Messiah. At the end of his life, David looked back in faith at God's promises and forward in hope to their fulfillment in the coming of a future "king", the "anointed one". (MacArthur Study Bible, ESV)

This hope was the hope that David fortold of when he prophesied that the Christ would come and rule in the hearts of men one day. This hope was the hope that prompted David to pray these words before the assembly of the children of Israel:

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the gloy and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

(1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

His Treasured Possession!

At the conclusion of the Pentateuch comes the book of Deuteronomy, the "second law" in which Moses recounts many of the laws given to him and the Israelites on Mount Sinai.

In Exodus, the first law, God gave to the children of Israel the commands they were to live by, reminding them that they were a nation set-apart and holy to the Lord. They were not to defile themselves with the people, cultures, and gods around them, but to serve only the Lord God.

Exodus 19 tells us of the special place that Israel had in being the chosen possession of the Lord. God, in His sovereignty, chose out Israel, and promised to bless them if they were obedient and kept His covenants. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6, ESV)

Reading through Deuteronomy last week, I picked up on the repeated references to the Israelites as God's chosen people.

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:5-6)

God continues speaking through Moses reminding the people that it was not because of their greatness of number that the Lord chose them, for they were not a great nation at first. It was because God is a steadfast, faithful God, who covenanted with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He would give them a nation. He chose to love the Israelites, and He redeemed and set-apart this nation for Himself. Not because of anything they had done, but because He is a God who is faithful to those who love Him.

For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 14:2) 

Because of this calling and this requirement set on them, the Israelites were to drive out the Canaanites who inhabited the land God was bringing them to, so that they would not become polluted. As God's elect, they were to remain holy for Him.

And the Lord has declared today that you are a people for his treasured possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commendments, and that he will set you in praise and in fame and in honor high above all nations that he has made, and that you shall be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he promised. (Deuteronomy 26:18-19)

But this just wasn't any possession; this was a treasured possession. Something highly valued and cherished. Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines treasured as "something of great worth or value; a person esteemed as rare or precious; to hold or keep as precious." The Israelites were of great worth in the Lord's eyes. He viewed them as precious. But this wasn't because of anything in them, for they were often wicked, deserting the One who called them out from a pagan land. They turned from their Redeemer many times, yet He still kept His covenant with them. God placed value in them because of of what His Son would do for them in the years to come. It was through Christ's future coming that they were ransomed, and He chose to love them for the sake of His own glory. 

They are the Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarches, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 9:4-5)

But because of unbelief, the nation of Israel rejected the Son of the One who saved them. And because of their unrepentant spirit, God allowed them to harden their hearts in accordance with His plan to bring salvation to the world. Paul speaks of this in detail in Romans 9-11, and also of his own calling to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles. And while the Jews have resisted the work of Christ, the message of Jesus is still offered today for Jew and Gentile alike. The hardness of the Israelites provides the means of repentance to the rest of us. God is God over all, and through His grace and wisdom, has brought salvation to all mankind, showing mercy on the remnant of Israel who love Him and providing a way of escape to the Gentiles, as well. 

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes....For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:4, 11-13)

To those who believe, Christ promises His redemption and peace. The law that condemned the Israelites, also would condemn us, but by laying down His life for us, Christ ultimately fulfilled the law by loving us. The law cannot be held up against us anymore, for Christ's blood covers it all and makes us righteous. God foresaw the rejection of Christ by the Jews and opened the door of mercy and grace to those of us (and them!) who would believe in His Son. It isn't anything in us that makes us worth loving, but because of His faithfulness and patience, God desires all to be saved, and so He provided the way for us through the death of His only Son.

Because of His Son, God also claims us as His treasured possession. The Cornerstone that was laid was rejected by its own. That Cornerstone itself was chosen and precious, and those who choose to believe today in it will not be put to shame, but instead will also be chosen and precious--like Christ is.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; one you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Let us live showing forth the glory of God to a lost world, realizing that we are loved by a Savior who died for us. A Savior who treasures those who belong to Him and lives to make us righteous--not because of who we are, but because of what He's done; not because of what we've done, but because of who He is.

Blessing on Obedience

Perhaps the Israelites understood the meaning of these words better than many. Living in the presence of God, under the authority of God, to the glory of God: Coram Deo. They lived in the shadow of the glory of God in the tabernacle. As a nation they were directly accountable to God, for they had no king at first, and the leaders they did have communicated with God. They were commanded to live to the glory of God because they were a chosen nation set-apart for Him: Israel--the nation from which the Christ would be born.

Sometimes we forget that Israel was an obedient nation. They were often wayward and rebellious, but they were also obedient. There was a remnant preserved who always walked by faith. They were the nation who verbally committed to the Lord that they would serve Him and Him only, teaching their future generations to do the same. And from the nation of Israel came many of the righteous men and women that we still look back on today, remembering their dedication, faithfulness, and sacrifice to God.

In the beginning of Numbers, the Israelites assembled to receive instruction from God through Moses before they begin to conquer Canaan. The 12 tribes (excluding the Levites) were arranged, in obedience to the Lord's commands, around the tabernacle. The Levites were given their duties in the tabernacle, and were reminded of their distinction as servants in the Lord's house. After other commands and instructions were given, God instructed Moses to have Aaron, the High Priest, and his sons bless the people for their obedience.

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them. (Numbers 6:22-27)

Here, the Lord pronounced blessing on them in the present for their obedience. He also promised to bless them in this way if they continued in their obedience. His presence would shine on them, and watch over them for their good. He would keep them safe, and show kindness to them, and give them peace. His name would be known in Israel, and other nations would know that the Israelites were God's people. Deuteronomy 28:10 confirms this: And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.

Many of the Psalms speak of these same blessings. Psalm 121 describes the Lord as the God who doesn't sleep--continually watching over Israel, preserving them from evil and death. In Psalm 31, David requested that the Lord apply the blessing in Numbers 6 to him personally. Make your face to shine on your servant; save me in your steadfast love! [Psalm 31:16] Psalm 67:1 requests a similar blessing: May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us. 

The principles of these blessings also apply to those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, as well. Our obedience to the Lord will always be blessed. We, too, live in the presence of the Lord, as the Holy Spirit indwells our hearts, causing us to live under the authority of God, to the glory of God. We're people set-apart, sanctified, and holy for the Lord. He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should walk blamelessly before Him. He promises to preserve us, to protect us, and to give us peace as we walk with Him. And as we live to the glory of God, under the authority of God, and in the presence of God, others will see our lives and will be pointed to the God who saved us and to the Savior who died and rose for us.

The Eternity We Await

On Monday, I finished my 16th time through the Bible, and because my reading plan takes me through Scripture canonically, I start with the creation of the earth and I end with the destruction of the earth. It's not a particularly pleasant picture if you leave the story there, however. And God doesn't.

Revelation presents the new heaven and new earth in its closing two chapters, and this eternal picture is one of glory, victory, perfection, and majesty. This was the revelation God gave to John, while he was in exile away from all other human companions. And here, on the isle of Patmos, the Lord provides His presence to John and commands him to write what he sees and hears.

Revelation 22 describes some of the characteristics of the new heaven, and I found it interesting to compare and contrast them with the newly created earth of Genesis.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need to light of the lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:1-5, ESV)

Here, the angel shows John what this new Jerusalem looks like. The water of life flows from the throne of God, representing eternal life given to all God's children. In the Garden of Eden, God provided water as a source of nourishment for people, plants, and animals. He used it later as a means of judgment. Christ, in His ministry on earth, proclaimed Himself to be the living water--whoever drinks from it lives forever. "Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:14) In eternity, Christ will be our eternal life, physically and spiritually, and we will reign with Him forever. This water of life will never end.

The tree of life, once resting in the Garden, now is pictured here providing satisfaction and life by its fruit. Once inaccessible because of man's sin, the tree of life's blessing and healing is now freely available to all who believe. Sin's presence, too, will be nonexistent, for Jesus bore that curse on the cross, and in the new heaven and earth it is completely gone. God will never need to judge sin, forgive sin, or remove it from our lives because it will have no hold over us again, and it's curse will have vanished.

There won't be a physical temple in the new heaven and earth, but His children and the angels will worship Him nonetheless, for Christ is our temple. We will worship at the throne of God and the sacrificed Lamb, and we will praise Him for all eternity. We will see His face. Adam and Eve were once banned from direct communication with God, but as citizens of His kingdom, we will be completely holy and able to look on the face of a holy God without fear of consequences. And He will know all His people, for His name will be on and in us. We are His possession, bought with a price--His blood--and no one can pluck us out of His hands.

Night and day, created at the beginning of this world, to give us time for rest, growth, seasons, months, and years--this will be gone, also. The darkness of the night will be scattered, for the Lord's glory will fill the earth and heaven. Lamps or the sun's light would not help, nor could they compare, for the brightness of God's glory reaches further. Jesus is light, and in Him is no darkness at all; therefore, darkness will flee, and light will reign. We will reign with Him, for as His servants, we are also His citizens. Citizens of the better country--the heavenly country that the faithful of Hebrews 11 earnestly desired. There will be no more hoping for eternity, no more faith in that which we can't see, because we will be there and we will see Him and live in His holiness. We will love and serve Christ in a state of perfection for all of time. That will be glory. That will be victory.

C.S. Lewis summed it up well in his last book in the Chronicles of Narnia:

Aslan: "The dream is ended: this is the morning."And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginnig of the real story. All their life in this world...had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before. 

So I will drive these roads in thunder and in rain
And I will sing your song at the top of my lungs
And I will praise you, Lord, in glory and in pain
And I will follow you till this race is won
And I will drive these roads till this motor won't run
And I will sing your song from sea to shining sea
And I will praise you Lord, till your kingdom comes

Till there’s no more faith and no more hope
I’ll see your face and Lord I’ll know
There’s no more faith, there’s no more hope
I’ll sing your praise and let them go
‘Cause only love, only Your love remains
Only love
("No More Faith", Andrew Peterson)