September Quotes

God's plan will continue on God's schedule. 

-A. W. Tozer

In your struggle against your sin, the victory will be won or lost in the battlefield of your mind. 

-Mary Kassian

We are not at liberty to take one statement of Holy Scripture out of its context with the whole. When we do we exchange the Word of God for our ignorant babble, we must beware.

-Calvin in "The Betrayal" by Douglas Bond

False religions will always attempt to distort Scripture because they must eliminate God's truth before they can justify their own lies. 

-John MacArthur

Death is but a passage out of a prison and into a palace.

-John Bunyan

The pulpit is mightier than any word, so long as the pulpit is where the Word of God is preached. 

-Al Mohler

Let us today go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see Him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in Him, and can sing, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire.

-Charles Spurgeon

Keep your heart with all diligence and God will look after the universe.

-A. W. Tozer

I have one desire now - to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy into it.

-Ed McCully

It is our fight. It will not end here. With every victory this evil will grow. If your father has his way, we will do nothing. We will hide within our walls, live our lives away from the light and let darkness descend. Are we are not part of this world? Tell me, Mellon, when did we let evil become stronger than us? 

-Tauriel, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (film)

Engedi

The post this week isn't taken from my devotional reading, but rather from my studying for Sunday school lessons plans. Last week I taught through 1 Samuel 23. I've been going through 1 Samuel for a long time now, but for six chapters Saul has been relentless in his pursuit of David. It first began with Saul's rejection as king, and then Saul's jealousy of David because he had won the peoples' hearts, and the story just gets more tangled from there on.

In chapter 23, David rescues the city of Keilah from the Philistines. This city was was identified by Saul as one that had gates and bars surrounding it. Which means that for David living there, this could either end up as a trap or as protection. And soon Saul finds out where David is hiding again. Using the ephod that Abiathar (a priest) brought when he fled from Doeg's slaughter of 85 priests, David inquires of the Lord asking if the men of Keilah would surrender him to Saul or not. The Lord said they would give him up to Saul. So David must flee. Again.

David has with him about 600 men at this point; men that he trained into a small army. Some were likely his brothers and other relatives (1 Samuel 22:1-2), but most were men who were in distress, who were in debt, and who were bitter in soul. This unhappy crowd of people gathered to David in the caves of Adullam and he accepted them as his own and provided them with the leadership they so desperately needed.

After David flees from Keilah to the wilderness of Ziph. David's often in the wildernesses of Israel. Always running, always fighting. Just going wherever they could go in order to escape Saul. But he's betrayed by the Ziphites, so then he moves on to the wilderness of Maon. Here Saul likely divides his men into two companies, and soon David is surrounded by the side of a mountain. Just as Saul was closing in on David to capture him, a messenger comes to Saul saying that the Philistines had made a raid against the land. Once again the Lord provides opportunity for David to flee. Just at the right time. Saul leaves to protect his land and there the place was called the Rock of Escape. The place where God intervened against evil, brought deliverance, and rescued his anointed.

David again leaves the area, but in the bleakest of wildernesses he find the strongholds of Engedi. Here David found an oasis in the middle of the desert. Song of Solomon notes that it also had vineyards providing nourishment for him and his men. There are fountains of water that pour out from the limestone cliffs and caves where they could find protection and shelter. So David was given rest and refreshment for a time. He was betrayed by men and pursued by Saul again, but for now, God gave him quietness in the desert.

David wasn't perfect. He was a sinful man, but He was God's anointed and a man after the Lord's heart. He lived much of his early life simply running from Saul and fighting enemies, but resulting from the betrayal, the hurt, the enemies, the pain, and the thanksgiving we have the book of Psalms today. God provided physical temporary rest and refreshment for David, but David's ultimate rest was found in the God of Israel--the King who never sleeps and is constantly guarding His children. His grace was given to David regardless of how many times he sinned or how many times he felt like giving up. And I think perhaps David was reminded of that grace in Engedi. The temporary still moments and the release from pursuit and the miraculous deliverance from Saul.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

-Psalm 57 

(a psalm perhaps written around the time when David was in Engedi)

[Engedi is later referred to in Ezekiel 47 where in the end of time the water of life (fresh water from the salty Dead Sea!) will flow through the Temple and Engedi will be filled with fish and fishermen will spread their nets there. A picture of restoration and healing and refreshment in the new heavens and earth.]

Jonathan: "The Lord has given"

[Warning: This is a Very Long Post. ;)]

Jonathan is a character who has often captured my attention, and I have noticed him even moreso in the last two times I've read through the Bible.

One of the first times we're introduced to Jonathan, we find him in the third verse of 1 Samuel 13. After reigning for two years Saul, Jonathan's father--the king over Israel, gathered his men together to fight the Philistines. Saul commanded 2000 men and Jonanathan, 1000. Jonathan and his men raided and defeated one of the groups of Philistines encamping in the area of Geba. Here we see Jonathan old enough to command an army of men, and at the same time courageous enough to actually conquer the Lord's enemies. His father, on the other hand, handled a group of trembling Israelites who were unsure of whether or not to follow him all the way. Saul then offers a sacrifice unlawfully, out of fear of the Philistines, impatience in waiting for Samuel, and fear of losing more of his men; he finds out his "army" has dwindled to 600. Once again Jonathan's name is mentioned in that he and his father faithfully remain with the remaining men in Geba (the area Jonathan conquered). Jonathan is also one of the privileged few (the other being Saul) who owned any sort of weapon, for the Philistines monopolized the metal resources and metal-working craftsmen.

Chapter 14 tells us of Jonathan's initiative to again attack the Philistines and conquer some of the land entrusted to the Israelites through God's covenant of the Promised Land. He takes only his armor-bearer and tells no one of his plans or whereabouts, especially not his father. His companion encourages Jonathan to do all that was in his heart, saying "Behold, I am with you heart and soul" (his armor-bearer made a great companion, too, by the way; what Jonathan received in friendship, he gave back in return to others). Using his strategy and walking in the Lord's victory (the same victory God would have given Saul if he had been obedient), Jonathan and his armor-bearer kill about 20 of the "uncircumcised" [Philistines] while Saul and his men hide in the holes, caves, tombs, and rocks of the land. God intervenes on Jonathan's behalf and sends an earthquake, causing further panic among the Philistines. Saul, finding out the commotion in the Philistine camp and finally noticing that his son and his son's armor-bearer were gone, rallies his men and takes them to battle. The Israelite deserters who were among the Philistines turn and once again follow Saul and Jonathan, and men who had hidden themselves away in the caves and tombs also rejoin their king. The Lord turns the Philistines against each other and saves Israel.

The next scene is written after Jonathan and his armor-bearer's attack, but it fits chronologically after Jonathan leaves the Israelite camp, and perhaps it reveals more about his father than it does him. Saul, vowing revenge on his enemies, lays a curse on anyone who eats food until his enemies are avenged. Jonathan, of course, did not hear this vow, as he was absent, so in his travels through the forest, he finds and eats honeycomb, encouraging the people to do the same as it provided him with much needed strength and energy. The people inform him of his father's curse, and he rightly places the blame of a smaller victory on his father, saying that if the people had eaten of the spoil of the battles, they would not have lacked strength and the victory might have been greater. Later the people sin grievously, taking the spoil of the next Philistine attack and slaughtering the animals on the field and eating them with the blood (eating raw meat without draining the blood was forbidden by God). As a continued consequence of Saul's foolish oath, God does not answer Saul when he attempts to inquire of God as to whether they should attack another group of Philistines. Saul again immediately pronounces a rash oath because God would not answer him, claiming that someone had sinned and whoever it was that person would die, even if it were Jonathan. By casting lots, they find out that it was indeed Jonathan who was "guilty". Saul was committed to fulfilling his vow, too proud to go back on his word, and unable to realize the extent of his own sin, so he says Jonathan must die. However, Jonathan's leadership and faithfulness had won the hearts of the people, and the Israelites step in and ransom him from his father's decision. And they contribute the salvation of Israel to Jonathan, saying that as the Lord lived "not one hair of his head [would] fall to the ground for he has worked with God this day."

Moving ahead several chapters, through the anointing of David for the kingship and his defeat of Goliath, we once again are told of Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18. And here we find the ever familar story of David and Jonathan's friendship. After David kills Goliath, Saul calls him to the court and inquires who his father is. We only have two lines of conversation between Saul and David, and yet chapter 18 verse 1 tells us that "as soon as he [David] had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." Jonathan's friendship is remarkable, not only because of who he was (a king's son--and David was a shepherd boy from one of the least of the tribes), but because of what it required of him (a recognition that he would not be heir to the throne, and a covenantal loyalty to a man that his father hated). In his covenant with David, which included giving to David his outer robe, armor, sword, bow, and belt, Jonathan demonstrated, either consciously or unconsiously, that he was giving up all right to the throne and reliquishing the position of prince of Israel to the anointed one that God had chosen.

Jonathan, in taking on the friendship of one who would reign in the place of his father, now takes on an even more precarious position. King Saul, unable to destroy David through his own methods for the Lord gave David success wherever he went, tells Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. "But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David." (1 Samuel 19:1) So rather than obeying his father, he takes on the risk of warning his friend of his father's intentions. Not only does he provide protection for David, but he also creates a plan in order to figure out what his father was thinking about David. Working as an advocate on his friend's behalf, Jonathan reminds Saul of all the good David had done for him in fighting Saul's battles and defeating Saul's enemies. And Saul temporarily listens to the wise rational of his son. So then Jonathan reports back to David and brings David back into his father's court.

Because of the evil spirit that continually haunts Saul, he soon begins his pursuit of David again. David, in hiding, returns to Jonathan pleading to know what he might have done to cause Saul to want to kill him. Again the two friends form a plan together resulting in David remaining in hiding, and Jonathan finding out what Saul's plans are. David and Jonathan once again pledge their loyalty to each other. David, in his complete trust of Jonathan, asked Jonathan to kill David himself if Jonathan thought he was deserving of death. Jonathan vows to David that he will tell David if his father is well-disposed towards him or if Saul is still desiring his death. Jonathan also requests that if everything turns badly, that David would demonstrate steadfast love to Jonathan's descendants. And again, David and Jonathan swear their covenantal love for each other. 1 Samuel 20 recounts Jonathan's use of the feast days, a young boy, and a bow and arrow to demonstrate to David the message he had learned from his father: Saul was indeed still seeking David's death. Not only did Saul demonstrate his hatred of David, but he also cursed his son for having sided with David and tried to kill him. The chapter ends this way after Jonathan brings this message back to David:

David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.'" And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. 

David is continually pursued by Saul and his men. He finds food from a priest, but is betrayed by Saul's chief herdsmen, Doeg the Edomite. He flees to Gath and pretends to be insane for fear that the Philistine king would kill him. He resides in a cave and all the distressed and bitter men come to him--he leads them and they follow him. He sought refuge for his father and mother in Moab, and then lives in the forest. Saul discovers where he is and continues the pursuit. He rescues a city from the Philistines but cannot stay there for the Lord reveals to him that the city would give him up to Saul. The Bible tells us that the men who followed him were staunchly faithful to their leader. They went wherever they could go and they went wherever David went.

Pursued continually by Jonathan's father, David finds rest in the wilderness. Not likely physical rest, but mental and emotional rest from one who had pledged his loyalty to him. Jonathan came to him in the wilderness. He met David where he was, and he brought encouragement and refreshment to him.

And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you....And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remianed at Horesh, and Jonathan went home. (1 Samuel 23:16-18)

In the desert, David found relief. Jonathan tells David not to fear his father. He reminds him that David will be king, and in that reminder is the humble acknowledgement that the prince of Israel would not be on the throne. Jonathan willingly submitted to God's sovereignty as it had been revealed to him and gave his support to David in the next best way that he could. Jonathan reminded David of God's promises.

That's the last we hear of Jonathan before he dies in battle alongside his brothers and his father. And that's the last we hear of his support and encouragement to one who so desperately needed it. But his loyalty left behind a memory not to be forgotten, and his life left an example completely opposite to that of his father's.

Saul's rebellion and disobedience brought consequences that reached further than he would ever know. King Saul is finally defeated by the Philistines, killing himself in order to avoid death by his enemies. And Jonathan dies, too. A man who walked in integrity, lived in victory, loved through loyalty, and advocated for justice. He provided leadership to the Israelites, brought refreshment to a hunted king, jeopardized his royal position by going against his mentally unstable father, and gave his life (literally) in humble surrender to the Lord's will, paving the way for the next king of Israel to reign--an event he would not even live to see.

And in return for that?

David remembered his covenant with Jonathan and showed kindness and grace to his descendants.

For Jonathan's sake.

The Joy of the Lord is Your Strength

The book of Nehemiah recounts the time of the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem. Nehemiah, as cupbearer to King Artexerxes, hears of the broken wall of the Jews and prays for God's wisdom and direction.

The Babylonians and Assyrians took captive God's chosen people, but decades later King Cyrus, the Persian ruler, allowed the Israelite people to return to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding and reconstructing the temple. Ezra recounts the first return under Zerubbabel and Joshua, while the second return was led by Ezra himeself. And finally, Nehemiah leads the exiles on a third return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.

They encountered much opposition in their work--seven accounts are specifically told to us. Enduring the mocking taunts of Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem, the people willing set to work in groups and families. Nehemiah leads the people, praying against the opposition and setting guards to protect against invasions.

Knowing that the God of heaven was their protection, the Israelites soon have to prepare against a potential military attack, for Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs, Ammonites, and Ashdodites plot together to throw the Jews into confusion and stop the reconstruction. Later Sanballat and Geshem attempt to lure Nehemiah outside of Jerusalem, but he refuses and continues on in his work, praying that God would strengthen his hands and keep the people focused. Nehemiah was later threatened with false charges and others were paid to falsely prophesy and discredit Nehemiah. We're told, too, of how Tobiah wrote letters to Nehemiah to try and frighten him.

But still the work went on, for "the people had a mind to work" and joined themselves with Nehemiah in raising the walls and defending what was rightfully theirs. God destroyed the plans of those who opposed the Israelites' work, and Nehemiah brought leadership to the people who had been in captivity for so long.

In chapter 8, the people gather together under Ezra the scribe as he reads and explains the words from the Law of Moses for at least six hours. As a scribe, Ezra had set his heart on the Word of God and sought to learn it and teach it to his people, and so, with 13 other men, he stands before the people, blessing them and worshipping the one true God with them and expounding the Scriptures to them.

The people, intensely convicted of their sins by the reading of the Word "wept as they heard the words of the Law". They understood their transgression of the law and the sin that had caused them to be taken into captivity, and they realized that God did indeed punish sin. However, Nehemiah and Ezra and the Levites comfort the people, telling them that this day was a holy day. The work on the temple had been completed through God's strength, protection, and guidance. This was a day for rejoicing. Rejoicing in a God who blessed obedience. Rejoicing in the fact that God once again preserved a remnant of His people. Rejoicing that the walls around Jerusalem were now finished. They were given a fresh start, and though God punished sin, He also blessed obedience. This is why Nehemiah said "And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." This was a time of celebration for all the goodness God had done for them, and the people were encouraged to keep the Feast of Tabernacles that had likely been neglected during captivity.

The heads of homes and families and the Levites and priests came together under Ezra to study the Law, and then joyfully enforced it throughout the land. "And there was very great rejoicing" among the people. Obedience was blessed, sin was confessed, and joy and freedom reigned once again in the hearts and homes of the people.

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.

June Quotes

Once more, Never think that you can live to God by your own power or strength; but always look to and rely on him for assistance, yea, for all strength and grace. 

-David Brainerd

There is nothing you can do to make God love you more, and there is nothing you can do to make Him love you less.

-Unknown

I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am. 

-John Newton

Elijah was a man who walked by faith and not by sight, and walking by faith is not a mystical or nebulous thing but an intensely practical experience. Faith does more than rest upon the bare letter of Scripture: it brings the living God into a scene of death, and enables its possessor to endure by ‘seeing His who is invisible.’ Where faith is really in exercise, it looks beyond distressing and distracting circumstances and is occupied with Him who regulates all circumstances. …Faith looks beyond the promise to the Promiser, and God never fails those who trust alone in Him and rely fully upon Him.

-A.W. Pink

A servant of God has but one Master. 

-George Mueller

It is not powerful men, strong men, valiant men who make headway in the kingdom. It is desperate men who have nothing and only hope is in Christ.

-Paul Washer

The human heart doesn’t like taking orders from the mind. The time will come for all of us when we won’t feel like doing the godly, responsible thing we’ve resolved to do. The question is, how will we respond when our hearts lead a full-scale rebellion? If we don’t prepare ourselves for an uprising, we’ll feel tempted to abandon our principles and standards.

-Joshua Harris

A faithful friend is a strong defense; And he that hath found him hath found a treasure. 

 -Louisa May Alcott

As I went down from the present peak into the valley between the mountains, I was often shadowed by the very peak I had been enjoying. This I interpreted in a sense of failure and this often led to despair. I felt I was going down into the ‘slough of despond’. I see now that I was wrong in this ‘feeling’. The going down was merely an initial moving forward towards the next higher ground, never a going back to base level. The shadow was only relative after the brightness of the sun; the valley could provide rest for working out the experiences previously learnt, a time for refreshment before the next hard climb. Had I understood this meaning of the sunshine and shadow in my life rather than interpreting my experiences along life’s ways as ‘up’ and ‘down’, I might have saved myself many deep heartaches. 

-Helen Roseveare

I shall rise from the dead...I shall see the Son of God, the Sun of Glory, and shine myself as that sun shines. I shall be united to the Ancient of Days, to God Himself, who had no morning, never began...No man ever saw God and lived. And yet, I shall not live till I see God; and when I have seen Him, I shall never die. 

-John Donne

There are four things that we ought to do with the Word of God - admit it as the Word of God, commit it to our hearts and minds, submit to it, and transmit it to the world.

-William Wilberforce

I will charge my soul to believe and wait for Him, and will follow His providence, and not go before it, nor stay behind it.

-Samuel Rutherford

Verses from David's Prayers

David knew how to pray. From being hunted constantly by enemies, falling into sin, and reaching the heights of joy, David's life provided just about every experience for prayer. And he took the opportunities to cry out to God. Perhaps some of the most well-known words of David come from the Psalms, and they are words Christians still read today. But this week in my devotions I read through 1 Chronicles and this book also includes a few of David's prayers as well.

Perhaps these verses can help direct us in how we should pray, as well.

Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 

(1 Chron.17:16)

Awe over what God has done and the knowledge that he (David) is nothing in comparison to God's greatness.

There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. (1 Chron.17:20)

Recognition of God's supremacy and sovereignty.

And you made your people Israel to be your people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God. 

(1 Chron.17:22)

Recounting the history of God's greatness and faithfulness to a wayward nation.

And now, O Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as you have spoken, and your name will be established and magnified forever, saying, 'The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel's God,' and the house of your servant David will be established before you.

(1 Chron.17:23-24)

Pleading that God would fulfill His promises like He said he would, in order that His name would be glorified and that the house of David would remain established in the Lord.

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours in the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

(1 Chron.29:11)

Acknowledging God's control and power over all the earth using words similar to what Jude later uses. "To the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1:25) And also Jesus uses similar words in the Lord's Prayer. "And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent." (Colossians 1:18)

But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. (1 Chron.29:14)

Realizing, in humility, that what he and his nation gave back to God only belonged to God in the first place. 

I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. (1 Chron.29:17)

God searches the heart and knows it completely, and David later goes into more detail in Psalm 139 about this. Nothing can be hidden from God, and our actions, motives, and thoughts that result from the Holy Spirit's working in us are pleasing to God.

Then David said to all the assembly, "Bless the Lord your God." And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king.

(1 Chron.29:20)

The people demonstrated the Lordship of Christ by worshiping Him as the God of their forefathers, and loyalty and obedience to David as their earthly king.

Say also: "Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise. 

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!"

(1 Chronicles 16:35-36)

The Courage and Faith of Caleb

I actually forgot to write a blog post yesterday. 

And I don't think I have ever done before. 

I finished reading Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua this week. These books include very familiar territory for me, as I've taught through them all  in my Sunday school within the past year.

I noticed Caleb's story more this time as I taught his story and as I read about him when I started into Judges. Once of the first times he is mentioned is when the 12 spies are commissioned by Moses to search out the land of Canaan (Numbers 13). We know Caleb's from the tribe of Judah--the tribe from which Christ would later come--and he's the son of Jephunneh. Moses sent out the spies, and the majority of them came back terrified. Ten of them were sure they'd be devoured by the inhabitants. Two men had faith and clung to the promise that God would give them their Promised Land immediately, but they were rejected by their fellow Israelites. One of those two was Caleb. He tried to calm the people and persuade them to trust God, but they just decided to try and stone him (and Joshua) instead, thus sealing their consequence of wandering for 40 years in the desert. Caleb had faith in the yet-to-be-fulfilled promises. 

Because of his faith, he was one of the only two who were allowed in the Promised Land from that generation. "But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it." (Numbers 14:24) He feared and trusted the Lord fully. His fear was the opposite of the terrified fright of the Israelites, rather it was a reverence and courage in the God he had followed for so long. 

And now after the initial conquest of Canaan, we find Caleb again in Joshua 6. He steps out in faith to ask Joshua for his inheritance. He reviews the history of his life so far, reminding Joshua and the Israelites that though the previous generation had lacked faith in God, he had fully followed the Lord. He tells them that he has remained strong physically and spiritually, and that the Lord has kept him alive because of his faithfulness. So, before Joshua divides the rest of the land between the tribes, Caleb asks Joshua for the hill country called Hebron. Hebron was the first city they spied out, and it was later captured by Joshua. This place held much history for the Israelite nation, for Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah were buried here. But not only were their forefathers buried here, but this place was now home to the Anakim's--a generation of "giants" known for their height and greatness, along with their intimidating presence. But Caleb wasn't afraid. He said, "give me this hill country...It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said" (Joshua 14:12). And he says this at 85 years of age.

And because of Caleb's courage, and because of God's promise to provide Caleb an inheritance for him and his children, the Lord granted him this land through Joshua. Joshua divided the land among the rest of the tribes and commanded them to destroy the remaining Canaanites, but most of them didn't. The Canaanites remain in the land in certain areas and plagued the Israelites and led them into false worship time and time again. But Caleb obeyed. He drove out the Anakim's and their descendants, just as he said he could because God was with him.

Caleb's faith, courage, and boldness was passed on to the next generation, for his daughter, Achsah, also exercised these traits when she asked her father for a portion of land. Caleb blessed her and gave her the land. Like father, like daughter. Caleb had chosen that his house would serve the Lord, and he lived it out, causing it to be passed on to the next generation. [Caleb's younger brother eventually became one of the judges who brought temporary peace to the Israelites (Judges 3:7-11).]

And though the writer of Hebrews "ran out of time" to list all those who lived by faith, I think Caleb is indirectly included in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11:27-40). He left Egypt by faith. He would have celebrated the first Passover, watched the Egyptians drown in the Red Sea, wandered the deserts and mountains, seen the walls of Jericho fall, and acknowledged Rahab's faith. He would have crossed the Jordan on dry land, and he would have been there when the sun stood still. He helped to conquer the kingdom of Israel. He enforced justice. He was a mighty man of war, and he put foreign armies to flight. And he obtained promises. The promise of the land of Canaan, and the promise of his inheritance. And he lived with the knowledge of a future Savior, a promise that he would not see fulfilled. But he was saved by faith. A faith that is assured of things hoped for, and has the conviction of things not seen. Caleb walked by faith, literally and figuratively.

   

February Quotes

God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

~Unknown

Sometimes a majority only means that all the fools are on the same side.

~General Douglas MacArthur

A foolish woman is complacent, which in this context, means she is contented with a mediocre Christian life. She fails to grasp the truth that there is no middle road, no fence-sitting, when it comes to discipleship, we are at all times either going forward or going backward. That's why living in limbo is really only an illusion.

~Lydia Brownback ("A Woman's Wisdom")

Relationships either get better or get worse; 

they never stand still. 

~Dr. Gary Chapman

[Jesus] was lionhearted and lamblike, strong and meek, tough and tender, aggressive and responsive, bold and brokenhearted. He sets the pattern for manhood. 

~John Piper

For where the glory of God is not made the end of the government, it is not a legitimate sovereignty, but a userpation.

~ John Calvin

Loneliness is a required course for leadership. 

~Elizabeth Elliot

Your emptiness is but preparation for your being filled, and your casting down is but the making ready for your lifting up. 

~C.H. Spurgeon

’But God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it,’ 1 Cor.10:13. Yes, God is faithful even if we are faithless: He is true to His covenant engagements, and though He visits our iniquities with stripes, yet His loving kindness will He never utterly take from one of His own, Ps.89:32,33. It is in the hour of trial, just with the clouds are blackest and a spirit of dejection has seized us, that God’s faithfulness appears most conspicuously. That is to say, He will either lighten the burden or give increased strength to bear it, so that we shall not be utterly overwhelmed by it.

~A.W. Pink ("Elijah")

If you are Christians, be consistent. Be Christians out and out; Christians every hour, in every part. Beware of halfhearted discipleship, of compromise with evil, of conformity to the world, of trying to serve two masters – to walk in two ways, the narrow and the broad, at once. It will not do. Half-hearted Christianity will only dishonor God, while it makes you miserable.

~Horatius Bonar

Instead of the word submission, I should write acceptance, for more and more, as life goes on, that word opens doors into rooms of infinite peace, and the heart that accepts asks nothing, for it is at rest, and the pilgrim of love does not need a map or chart. ‘I know my road, it leadeth to His heart.’

~Amy Carmichael

Feelings are not scientific instruments for that which surrounds them. They speak only of themselves when they say, “I am cold; I am dark.” They do not necessarily speak of truths. Perhaps the final victory of our Lord came when he followed the cry of 'Why hast thou forsaken me?' with the words, 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.' Shall we then bemoan any darkness? Shall we not rather gird up our strength to encounter it that we, too, from our side may break through the passage for the light beyond? He who fights with the dark shall know the gentleness that makes man great—the dawning countenance of the God of hope.

~George McDonald ("The Laird's Inheritance")

Be an Encourager!

During 2014, I read and taught through a lot of the Pentateuch, but reading it this time round, I noticed a couple verses that hadn't particularly stuck out to me before.

In Deuternomy 1 Moses is speaking to the Israelites, recounting their journey thus far and reminding them of the consequences for not entering the Promised Land when God commanded them to.

Verse 38 says "Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it." The Israelites have been appointed a new leader. A courageous, godly man. One who's lived with them and "trained" with Moses since the beginning. But because Moses is going to die, Joshua is being given the huge task of conquering the Promised Land and taking charge of a group of rebellious people. "But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see." (Deuteronomy 3:28)

Encourage him, and strengthen him. Those were the two commands given to the Hebrews. Leadership is lonely and wearying a lot of the time, and God knew that Joshua would need the support of people behind him. They carry the weight of the responsibility of leadership every single moment. They become a living example to those they lead, and they are not only accountable for themself, but also (in part) for the people they lead. And for the leaders who take their position seriously, it's a weighty task--one that no other can bear for them, except by prayer, encouragement, and support. And sometimes that's the only thing that keeps leaders going. God commanded the people to encourage Joshua through this overwhelming task.

So let's remember to share the burdens of our leaders, as best we can. Especially those who are fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord. Keep them in prayer, offer encouragement, and give them support. Be an encourager. :)