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Archive for the ‘Books of the Bible’ Category

Psalm 84 – A Closer Look

Posted in Devotional, God, Psalms, tagged , , on May 30, 2010|

I ran across a verse in Psalm 84 that I don’t remember noticing before.  I love that about the Bible.  I can read it from cover to cover every year, and still God has surprises and “new” things to show me.

In Psalm 84, verse 5, the Psalmist states, “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage.”  I noticed two parts of the description of this blessed man:

  1. His strength is in God
  2. His heart is set on pilgrimage

I thought about what it meant to have one’s strength be in God.  It seems to me the strength here can be compared to the strength of an army:

  • God is his fortress
  • God is his strong tower
  • God is his rear guard
  • God is his shield and buckler (his weapons of defense)

It could also be that strength here has the meaning of the one who “strengthens” the man, who cares for and befriends the man, who makes sure his physical and emotional needs are met:

  • God is his provision
  • God is his guide, the light to his path
  • God is his comfort
  • God is his hope (gives him the will to go on)

It could also be that God is his strength because God makes him stronger:

  • God is the father who chastens his beloved son
  • God is the refining fire that purifies him

With God, strength can mean so many things.  When my strength is in God, I don’t rely on my own reasoning, my own resources or my own abilities.  I cast myself entirely on my God, keeping no area of my life in which I am “strong” apart from God.  May the LORD bless you and may He be your only strength.

I will have to save the discussion of the second part of the verse, “whose heart is set on pilgrimage”  for my next post.

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Bible Basics (Part 5)

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, Old Testament, Prophets, tagged , , , on May 28, 2010|

Continuing with our discussion of the Bible ands its organization and content, the following is a summary of what we covered in the last 4 posts on Bible Basics:

The Bible has 2 testaments: The Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament has 39 books divided into 5 sections:  The Law, The History, The Poetry & Wisdom, The Major Prophets and The Minor Prophets.

The Law consists of:  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The History consists of:  Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

The Books of Poetry and Wisdom consist of:  Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.

The next grouping of books in the Old Testament is the Major Prophets which include the following:

  • Isaiah [A prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah, Isaiah predicts God’s judgment on Judah was well as the surrounding countries and the world, but also promises a future salvation and restoration.  Many important Messianic prophecies (prophecies about Jesus) are found in this book.]
  • Jeremiah [A prophet to the southern kingdom of Judah also, Jeremiah declares the certain Judgment of God.  He also tells of God’s promise of a new covenant with His people.]
  • Lamentations [A series of 5 poems of lament by the prophet Jeremiah]
  • Ezekiel [A prophet to Israel in captivity in Babylon.  Ezekiel tells of the fate of Judah’s enemies and its future.]
  • Daniel [The book of Daniel includes some well-known Bible stories such as Daniel in the lion’s den and the three Hebrew boys in the firey furnace.  It also shows the future of the 5 world kingdoms and shows Israel during the period of Gentile power in the world.]

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Bible Basics (Part 4)

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, History, Law, Old Testament, Poetry and Wisdom, tagged , , on May 18, 2010|

Continuing with our discussion of the Bible and its organization and content, the following is a summary of what we covered in the last 3 posts on Bible Basics:

The Bible has 2 testaments: The Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament has 39 books divided into 5 sections:  The Law, The History, The Poetry & Wisdom, The Major Prophets and The Minor Prophets.

The Law consists of:  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

The History consists of:  Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther.

The third grouping of books in the Old Testament is the Books of Poetry and Wisdom which included the following:

  • Job (Is the story of a man who has everything, loses everything, doesn’t understand why, is visited and counseled by friends who are totally off base about God, and finally God has to show up and make it clear that He doesn’t have to explain anything.)
  • Psalms (The book of Psalms is the hymn (Him) book for the church.  It includes songs of worship, praise, repentance, and others that pour out the psalmist greatest fears and defeats.)
  • Proverbs (The book of Proverbs is sometimes called the book of “wisdom” because it contains proverbs which teach wisdom on any number of subject that affect the common man including marriage, raising children, handling wealth, handling poverty, adultery, and other issues in life.)
  • Ecclesiastes (The book of Ecclesiastes is believed to be  written by Solomon, and it reflects his search and study of the meaning of life.  His conclusion is that the only true source of meaning and fulfillment in life comes from God.)
  • Song of Solomon (This book, believed to be written by Solomon,  is actually a song which on the surface appears to be the love story of Solomon and his Shulamite bride.  It is often seen as having much to say about emotional love in the context of marriage, but it is also a picture of Jesus and His love for His bride.)

The books of poetry and wisdom do not follow a chronology or tell a history, rather they are superimposed on the history and show the struggles that men of faith like Job, David, Solomon and Asaph have in learning about God and how to draw closer to Him.  These books show us insights into their thinking, their emotions, how they deal with trials and opposition, and how they worshiped the God that they served.

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Bible Basics (Part 3)

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, History, Old Testament, tagged , , on May 17, 2010|

Continuing with our discussion of the Bible ands its organization and content, the following is a summary of what we covered in the last 2 posts on Bible Basics:

The Bible has 2 testaments: The Old Testament and the New Testament.

The Old Testament has 39 books divided into 5 sections:  The Law, The History, The Poetry & Wisdom, The Major Prophets and The Minor Prophets.

The Law consists of:  Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

That brings us to the next grouping of books in the Old Testament – The History.  The Books of History include:

  • Joshua (the tribes entering into and conquering the promised land)
  • Judges (the 300-year period when Israel was ruled by Judges and the Israelites moving through a repeated cycle of sin, oppression, crying out to God, God’s deliverance, and gradual falling away from God and repeating the cycle)
  • Ruth (an important story of two women during the period of judges which has important images of the Kinsman redeemer which connect to the Book of Revelation)
  • 1 and 2 Samuel (a story of 2 kings for Israel, first Saul and then David)
  • 1 and 2 Kings (Solomon’s kingdom and the divided kingdom)
  • 1 and 2 Chronicles (God’s story focused solely on the Southern Kingdom of Judah)
  • Ezra (the return from Babylonian captivity)
  • Nehemiah (the rebuilding of the City of Jerusalem)
  • Esther (a story of a Jewish woman living in exile who saves the Jews from extermination)

The Books of the History span over 1,000 years of the history of the children of Israel following them from the time they entered the promised land, to the time of judges, to their receiving a King (Saul) and his removal by God, to David being anointed their King, to David ruling over Jerusalem, to David ruling over all of Israel, to the Kingdom dividing, to the fall of the Northern Kingdom, to the Fall of the Southern Kingdom and the children of Israel in their captivity and ultimately, their deliverance from captivity.

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Bible Basics (Part 2)

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, Law, Old Testament, tagged , , on May 16, 2010|

As I outlined in the last post, the Bible has 2 Testaments (Old Testament and New Testament), and each testament is divided into books, and the books are further grouped together with other books of similar purpose, content and/or authorship.

By way of review, the groupings of the  books of the Old Testament are:

  • The Law
  • The History
  • The poetry and wisdom books
  • The Major Prophets
  • The Minor Prophets

The Books of  the Law include:

  • Genesis    (Covers the beginnings of man:  his creation, the fall, judgment by flood, judgment at the tower of babel, lives of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph)
  • Exodus  (Life and Ministry of Moses, Deliverance from Egypt, Delivery of the Law, specifications for and building of the Tabernacle, and  the wilderness experience for the Israelites)
  • Leviticus  (Laws of sacrifice, Laws of sanctification)
  • Numbers  (Wanderings of the Israelites)
  • Deuteronomy  (Recap of the law and promises of God)

The books of the law cover the time from creation through the death of Moses in approximately 1406 B.C.

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Bible Basics (Part 1)

Posted in Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Books of the Bible, tagged , , on May 13, 2010|

The Bible is neatly (but not evenly) divided into to “Testaments”, the Old Testament and the New Testament.  As you might know, a “testament” , means a covenant or set of promises from God to man.   To simplify, the Bible is a 2-part set of promises from God to mankind.  The first covenant or testament is the Old Testament.  The second covenant or testament is the New Testament.

The two testaments are  further divided into books, and the total number of books in the Bible is 66.  The total number of authors is believed to be 40.  The authorship of some books is not entirely clear from the historical and other evidence.   The books in the Old Testament are further divided into 5 groupings:

  • The Books of the Law
  • The Books of the History
  • The Poetry and Wisdom books
  • The Major Prophets
  • The Minor Prophets

The purpose and subject matter of each group of books is different from that of the other groups.  Within a group, each book may be different either in its focus, audience and/or purpose.  Together; however, the books comprise one coherent message.  That is the beauty of it.  Learning about any particular book of the Bible is great, but learning how that book then fits into the bigger message and points to the way of salvation can be even more exciting and can bring deeper understanding of God and a greater closeness to Him.

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The Lord is my Light and my Salvation . . .

Posted in Devotional, Hope, Psalms, the LORD, tagged , , on May 3, 2010|

In Psalm 27, the Psalmist says (and we often sing), the LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?

The LORD is my light

  • He guides me as a beacon from a lighthouse guides a ship in the night away from the rocks.
  • He illuminates my life as candle gives light to a dark room.
  • He shows me things in my life like a searchlight reveals things or people hiding in the darkness
  • He dispels darkness from my life as light, by its very nature, must.

The LORD is my salvation.

  • He is the key to my life and relationship with God.
  • He is the key to me having eternal life.
  • He is the key to me living the abundant life.

Whom shall I fear?  If I have God as my light and my salvation, is there really any other significant area of vulnerability in my life?

I am persuaded as Paul was and as I pray you are, “that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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Are You an Overcomer?

Posted in 1 John, Books of the Bible, Devotional, God, Overcomer, tagged , , , on April 28, 2010|

The Apostle John, in his first epistle (letter) calls believers “overcomers”.  This term is also used by John in the Book of Revelation.  In 1 John 4:4, John says, ” You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”  In 1 John 5:4, he says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world–our faith.  Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

To summarize:

  • When we are born of God,  by faith in Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior, we are overcomers.
  • An overcomer is he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God
  • Faith in Jesus allows the believer to overcome the world
  • By one’s faith in Jesus, Jesus gives power to overcome because Jesus is all-powerful (omnipotent)
  • Overcoming the world means having victory in all things through Jesus

May you take comfort from your position as an overcomer.   We have overcome the world because our Champion, Jesus, has overcome  it.

If you have not committed your life to Christ yet, don’t waste anymore time.  Become an overcomer today!

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Psalm 15 – A Closer Look

Posted in Devotional, Moral Relativism, Psalms, Relationship with God, tagged , , , , on April 17, 2010|

I don’t know about you, but I love to spend time with God, in His presence.  The problem I have is that I am not always in His presence.  Sometimes I am not there.  I know one day I will be in His presence forevermore, but until then, I must look at the things on this side of eternity that keep me from being constantly in the presence of God.

In this short Psalm (5 verses only), the Psalmist asks the question, “LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?  Who may dwell in Your holy hill?  Another way to think about this is who can live with God or be in constant, unbroken fellowship with God?  The Psalmist answers:

  • A person who does the right thing even in his or her heart where only God can see.  This is the idea of personal integrity.
  • A person who displays right conduct toward others in word, deed and thought.
  • A person who views evil as God does and views God’s people as God does.  The first part of that is probably the easier part.  Sometimes God’s people can be challenging, and we forget how God views them.  They are precious to Him.
  • A person who accepts God’s provision and follows God’s order with money, not taking advantage of the poor for gain, not trying to get gain by dishonest means.

All the qualifications of the person who is in constant, unbroken fellowship with God, who dwells on His holy hill are based on a standard – God’s standard.  God is the measuring stick in each case.  The conclusion one easily draws from this consistent standard is that moral relativism, the idea that each person can follow his or her own moral standard, is a lie.  There is no moral relativism, only a moral absolute.  The absolute standard for right and wrong, for good and evil, is God’s law.  Learn it, love it and live it!

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Psalm 13 – A Closer Look

Posted in Crying out to God, Devotional, Exhortation, Hope, In times of difficulty, Psalms, salvation, tagged , , , , on April 9, 2010|

Psalm 13 begins with the Psalmist sounding like he is accusing God.  “How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?  How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?”  (Ps. 13:1-2)

In these verses, the Psalmist evidences an uncertainty about God.  Uncertainty can cause one to doubt God’s motives or doubt God’s timing.   Sometimes when we become fearful and afraid, we accuse God.  We mistakenly consider Him to be reacting to us like the humans around us who may forget us or hide their faces from us or allow our enemies to over take us and do nothing to help.  But God is not like us or those around us.  He will not forget us.  Isaiah 49:15 tells us,  “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.”  Deut 31:6 tells us, “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.”

From accusation in verses 1-2, the Psalmist moves into calling out to God and reasoning with God in verses 3-4.  In these verses, he says, “consider and hear me, O LORD my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”

Finally, the Psalmist makes a choice in verse 5.   He states, ‘but I have trusted in Your mercy.”  He decides to trust in God’s mercy.  He decides to believe  and act upon what He knows about God.  This is internal to the Psalmist.  A choice to believe God and trust God must come from within.  I must, like priests carrying the ark across the Jordan, step into the water first rather than waiting for them to recede.  Trusting God is a choice I must make daily,  sometimes moment by moment.

From that choice, there is an immediate reward, the Psalmist says, “my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.”  When I choose to trust God, I am impacted in my walk with God, in my fellowship with God.  He immediately reinforces the positive step I have taken.

Verse 6 gives us the result for ministry, ” I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”  When I trust God, my heart rejoices in His salvation, and from that comes an outpouring from me to those around me.  I will sing to the LORD!  I will declare to the world about my God, about His great bounty, His mercy, and His faithfulness!
To review, here is the progression:
  • Accusation against God
  • Calling out/reasoning with God
  • Trust in God (choose)
  • Receive from God
  • Give out in ministry

We all have times of accusing or doubting God, even if it is only in our thoughts.  The important thing is to move forward in the progression.  Cry out to God, choose to trust God, receive from God and then give out what you have received to those around you.

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