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Archive for the ‘Old Testament’ Category

Knowing God (Leader/Faithful Companion)

Posted in Attributes, Bible, Deuteronomy, Faithful Companion, Friend, God, Old Testament, Relationship with God, tagged , , , , , , on November 2, 2010|

As we continue in our endeavor to know God more, consider Deuteronomy 31:8:  “[The LORD] is the one who goes before you.  He will be with you.  He will not leave or forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”

I find the following attributes of God described in this verse:

  • God as Leader (“goes before you)
  • God as faithful companion (He will not leave or forsake you)

God goes before me to lead me.  He shows me the way not by pointing to it on some map or instruction manual.  He leads me Himself.  This speaks of His personal and intimate involvement in my life.

God asks the rhetorical question (the answer is obvious)  through the Prophet Jeremiah, “Am I a God near at hand, . . . And not a God afar off?”  Jer. 23:23

In addition to leading me and going before me, God is a faithful companion along the way.  He will not leave me or forsake (abandon, desert, or give up on) me.  Because He wants to make sure that I know He is near, He repeats the promise “I will never leave or forsake you”  many times in the Bible.  He knows that I am afraid of this.

  • Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
  • Deuteronomy 31:8 “And the LORD, He is the one who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
  • Joshua 1:5 “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
  • 1Chronicles 28:20 And David said to his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God-my God-will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
  • Heb 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.“

No person can make this promise and ever hope to be able to keep it.  Having lost my father at age 3, I learned early that people leave and forsake us despite the best intentions.  Only God can make the promise to always be with me and really carry it out.  He alone is God.

To the only true God, my leader and ever faithful companion, be honor and glory forever!

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Knowing God

Posted in Bible, God, Knowing God, Old Testament, Relationship with God, Walking with God, worship, tagged , , , , , on October 30, 2010|

In the words of Julie Andrews, “let’s start at the very beginning . . . it’s a very good place to start.”

In Genesis 1:1, we read, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” That is where God begins His story.  It is not the beginning of God, since He is mentioned as already being present in the verse.  It is, however, the beginning for the heavens and the earth.

The attribute of God most evident in this verse for me is His power.  God simply created everything that we can see, feel, sense or hear.  Even more amazing is that He created it out of nothing (ex nihilo).  He is the all-powerful creator God.  “Elohim” is His name.  Elohim is the traditional Hebrew name for thecreator God and it mean, “The Strong One.”

Part of knowing God is knowing His power.  The most obvious evidence of His great power is the creation.  Many other scriptures refer to His role as creator and they lend some additional insights:

  • Completed in six days – Exodus 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
  • Creation reveals God’s genuineness – Psalm 96:5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the LORD made the heavens.
  • God created the heavens and earth to be inhabited – Isaiah 45:18 For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.
  • God knows all the details of creation – Job 38-41.

May you continue to meditate on the creator God.  May you worship Him, for He alone is worthy of praise.  There is none like Him, like our God.  He is the King of Glory!

Note: According to John MacArthur,  Bible teacher and commentator, the original Hebrew language here supports a recent creation (thousands, not millions of years ago).

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Lessons from the Book of Job (Part 2)

Posted in Bible, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, God, Job, Old Testament, tagged , , , on August 16, 2010|

As I read the book of Job each year, Job reminds me about my God, why He is worthy, oh so worthy to be served.

  • Everything under heaven is His.  He even sets limits for Satan.
  • He controls all of nature – that which is above and that which is below.
  • None came before Him, and He has no end, so it is not possible that any will come after Him.
  • Whatever He wills – that shall be done.  None can resist or successfully oppose Him.  None of His purposes can be thwarted.
  • In His presence, I see the wretch that I am, hopelessly self-focused and self-seeking, lacking in power and sufficiency, totally dependent on my God.

Although He might despise me for my inadequacies, my frailties, my pathetic efforts to be independent, He doesn’t. Instead He extends His loving arms to hold and comfort me.  He washes me in His blood, and I am clean.

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Lessons from the Book of Job

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, Devotional, God, Job, Old Testament, tagged , , , , on August 13, 2010|

The benefit of reading through the Bible each year from cover to cover is that every year, you must read the book of Job.  It is 37 chapters of men’s wisdom followed by 5 chapters of God’s.

When I read Job, I learn things about myself:

  • I am like Job’s friends, spending too much time trying to figure why another person faces severe or repeated suffering and trials.  I look for hidden sin in their lives.  I usually fail to consider the universal truth that God’s ways are far past my finding out or understanding.  How can finite man understand infinite God?
  • I am like Job.  I tend to think God is dealing unjustly with me.  I accuse God of being far from me, not remembering me, or forsaking me.  I am prone to think of God as a mere man, like me, capable of error, neglect, thoughtlessness.  I imagine He might need my insight, my vision, or my plans.
  • I am so relieved to hear from God.  After 37 chapters of the ramblings of those not much brighter than me, when I read the words, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind,” it makes my heart quicken.  His truth washes over me, verse after verse confronting me with my impotency and my insignificance in stark contrast to His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence.

Like Job, my only response to the awesome power and knowledge of God is to mumble with my face in dirt, “I am vile . . . I have nothing to say.”

More on Job tomorrow . . .

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More Proverbs on the Tongue

Posted in Bible, Books of the Bible, Genesis, God, Old Testament, Proverbs, Tongue, tagged , , , , , , , on July 26, 2010|

As we discussed in the last post, there is much to be learned in the Bible about the tongue, the lips, words, how we speak and related topics.  Last time, we looked at Proverbs 12,  and in Proverbs 15, we find more wisdom on this subject:

  • Gentle words can help diminish another’s anger  – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but  a harsh word stirs up anger.”  verse 1
  • Wise people use their speech to convey knowledge, but fools speak nonsense – “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, but the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”  verse 2   See also verse 7.
  • A those who speak health and benefit bring life, but those who speak perversion sap energy and enthusiasm – “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”  verse 4

The words that we speak and the way that we speak them can bring life or they can cause death and despair.  Shall we speak life or death.  It is a choice.  If we model our speech after our great God, we will speak life.  Consider the following examples:

  • Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  Gen. 1:3
  • Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.  Gen. 1:9
  • Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.  Gen. 1:11
  • Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so.   Gen. 1:14-15.
  • Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.  Gen. 1:24
  • Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!”  And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. John 11:43-44
  • Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other.  Matt. 12:13
  • He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”   And he arose and departed to his house.  Matt. 9:6-7

Beloved, may we speak as our master spoke, and bring life to our listeners.   May God teach us the power of the well-disciplined tongue, fully yielded and bringing forth only pure, sweet water and with that water, life!

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Proverbs on the Tongue

Posted in Bible, Deceit, lying, Old Testament, Tongue, tagged , , , , , , on July 22, 2010|

Having just finished a great study in the book of James, the blessings and problems of the tongue are fresh in my mind.  In addition to the verses in James 3 regarding the tongue, many other books of the Bible have something to say on this subject:

In Proverbs 12, I found some interesting wisdom about the tongue:

  • Your mouth will get you into trouble – “The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will come through trouble.”  verse 13
  • What you say can bring a blessing back to you – – “A man will be satisfied with the good by the  fruit of his mouth.”  verse 14
  • He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit. verse 17
  • Some people’s words stab and others bring healing – “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.”  verse 18
  • Truth lasts (lies fade) – “The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”  verse19.
  • God hates liars, but delights in the truthful – “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.”  verse 22

May you bless others with your words.  May God bless you through His word.

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Study of Ruth – Join Us Online

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, History, Old Testament, Ruth, Ruth, tagged , , , , , on July 13, 2010|

Attached is the first worksheet for our study of the book of Ruth.  Feel free to join us in the virtual Bible study as we go through the Book of Ruth chapter by chapter and verse by verse.  The remaining worksheet pages along with study notes from our teaching will be available by password, so contact me to get your password, so you can follow along.

Take time now to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God.

Book of Ruth – Worksheet 1

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Isaiah 41:10 – A Closer Look

Posted in Bible, Devotional, Exhortation, Fear, Isaiah, Old Testament, tagged , , , , , on July 12, 2010| 3 Comments »

Isaiah 41:10 reads as follows:  “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

  • Fear Not – He only says this because He knows I will be filled with fear.
  • For I am with you – He understands my  frame – that I don’t want to be alone, that when He is with me, I feel less afraid, and I can go a little further.
  • Be not dismayed – The definition of dismayed is “to be filled with dread or apprehension, to be anxious or afraid, to lose confidence or courage in the face of trouble or danger.”  That pretty well describes me.  I am am confident and courageous until the trouble comes.
  • For I am your God – When I fully grasp the meaning and implication of this concept – the God of creation, the Almighty God, the One who parted the Red Sea and held back the flooded Jordon, the One who raised Jesus from the dead – He says of me, “I am your God.”  What more could I need?
  • I will strengthen you – He knows I am left weak from the fear.
  • Yes, I will help you – He is reassuring me.  He alone is my help and my deliverer.
  • I will uphold you with my righteous right hand – In the end, I will stand because He is holding me up.  It is His justice, His righteousness that will allow me to stay the course.

Beloved, do not be afraid.  Our God will supply all your needs through Christ Jesus.  He is with you.  He will never leave or forsake you.

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Bible Basics – Quiz 1 (Key)

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Books of the Bible, Old Testament, tagged , , , , on June 29, 2010|

If you were brave enough to take the Bible Basics – Quiz 1 yesterday, here is the key:

1.  Old Testament & New Testament

2.  Law, History, Wisdom & Poetry, Major Prophets, & Minor Prophets

3.  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy

4.  66

5.  39

6.  It has one coherent message of God’s plan for salvation.

7.  Hebrew

8.  2/3

9.  Numbers

10.  Proverbs

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Bible Basics – Quiz 1

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Books of the Bible, Old Testament, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on June 28, 2010|

You probably saw it coming.  Teachers have a deep-seated need to give quizzes and tests.  Here is your first quiz on Bible basics.  You don’t have to send me your score, but try to take the test first without looking at the earlier blog posts just to see how you can do.  I will post answers tomorrow, so you can get that reinforcement you need.

1.  What are the two major divisions of the Bible?

2.  What are the divisions of the Old Testament?

3.  What are the books of the Law?

4.  How many books are there in the Bible?

5.  How many books are in the Old Testament?

6.  What is true of the Bible despite its many different books written by different authors at different times?

7.  In what language was the Old Testament written?

8.  What fractional part of the Bible does the Old Testament make up?

9.  What book in the Old Testament talks about the wanderings of the Israelites?

10.  What book in the Old Testament is sometimes called the book of wisdom?

Answers will be in tomorrow’s post.

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