Days of Praise

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December 24, 2016 The Babe in Bethlehem “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2)   This is a very remarkable prophecy, explicitly predicting that the future King of Israel would be born in the little village of Bethlehem some 700 years before He finally came. Then, to assure its fulfillment, the great Emperor Augustus had to decree a comprehensive census, compelling Joseph to take Mary with him to Bethlehem for her child to be born.   That the prophecy involves an actual birth is clear, not only from the phrase “come forth,” but also from the succeeding verse that warns God will “give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth” (v. 3). The preceding verse had also predicted that “they shall smite [this coming ruler] the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek” (v. 1), speaking of His initial rejection and execution.   But the prophecy not only foresees His birth in Bethlehem, His repudiation by His own people, and His eventual installation as King over all Israel (not merely Judah), but also that this same remarkable person was none other than God Himself! His “goings forth” had been “from everlasting.” That is, He is eternally proceeding forth from His Father. He did not become God’s Son when He was born in Bethlehem; He has been coming forth eternally.   There is still another truth implied in the Hebrew word for “goings forth.” It is also used for such things as the flowing of water from a fountain or the radiations from the sun. Thus, the never-ending flowing forth of power from God through the Son is nothing less than the sustaining energy for the whole creation, as He is “upholding all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). And this was the Babe in Bethlehem! HMM

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December 25, 2016
The Gifts of the Wise Men
“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)

 

These wise men (or Magi) were of great eminence in the Parthian Empire at that time, and it is unlikely that the caravan from the East consisted of only three men. They more likely had a large entourage as they came searching for the future King of Israel, so it was small wonder that “all Jerusalem” was “troubled,” along with King Herod (Matthew 2:3). The Parthians (i.e., Persians) had never been conquered by the Romans and at that very time were posing a significant threat along the eastern boundary of the extended Roman Empire.

 

When they found the young child and His mother in Bethlehem, the Magi “fell down, and worshipped him” (Matthew 2:11). But why did they offer Him just three gifts—and why these three gifts? Somehow they seemed to have sensed, possibly from meditating deeply on the ancient prophecies of Balaam (Numbers 24:17), Daniel (in Daniel 9:24-26), and David concerning the priesthood order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4), that this young child whose birth had been announced by a star was destined not only to be the King but would also become the Messianic Sacrifice to “make reconciliation for iniquity” (see Daniel 9:24, 26) and then eventually become our eternal High Priest who “ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Thus, the gold would acknowledge His right to reign, the frankincense would speak of the incense to be offered in the heavenly tabernacle, and the myrrh (John 19:39) would testify that His crucified body would be so anointed as it entered the tomb for a very temporary burial. HMM

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December 26, 2016
The Goal of Teaching
“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.” (1 Timothy 1:5)

 

As Paul begins his instruction to his disciple Timothy, his “own son in the faith” (v. 2), he warns him about false doctrine (v. 3) and petty, fruitless arguments (v. 4). He contrasts such false teaching with his own teaching, the goal or “end” of which is threefold:

 

First, Paul would like to see his ministry produce “charity [i.e., agape love] out of a pure heart.” This is God’s kind of love that He has bestowed upon us, undeserving as we are. Once He has purified our hearts and taken up residence there through the power of His Spirit, we can love with such a love.

 

Second, proper teaching should lead us to “a good conscience.” Our lives must be free of unconfessed sin and uncluttered by wrongs not made right with others. The false teachings and improper attitudes and actions Paul is condemning (vv. 3-4) frequently lead to strife and fabrications. The response to these must be strong, yet proper.

 

Third, “unfeigned faith,” a sincere faith without hypocrisy, should result. It must be our own faith and not that of others, not even family members (2 Timothy 1:5). We have a reasonable faith shored up by a great weight of evidence and logic, and proper teaching should strengthen and confirm it.

 

May God continue to gift the church with godly teachers like Timothy, “for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12-13). JDM

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December 27, 2016
The Lord Will Provide
“And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.” (Genesis 22:14)

 

Abraham had just passed the most severe of tests. He had been willing to offer up his beloved son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord. He must have wondered why God had asked him to slay the son of promise, through whom many descendants were promised, but he didn’t refuse or even question God. He was convinced that “God was able to raise him [Isaac] up, even from the dead” (Hebrews 11:19). Yet, he must have been greatly relieved when God stopped him from slaying his son, and thankful indeed when he found that God had already provided a ram to be used as “a burnt offering in the stead of his son” (Genesis 22:13).

 

While journeying to the place of sacrifice, Abraham had said that “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (v. 8). Appropriately, after the incident, Abraham named the mountain Jehovah [the Lord] Jireh [will provide].

 

In Hebrew there is not a specific verb form to designate the future tense, and so the word Jireh could easily be translated “is providing.” Actually, where the Lord’s provision is concerned, the tense makes little difference. The Creator of time (Genesis 1:1) stands outside of time. We may sometimes be frustrated and disturbed because we see only the present, and we don’t even see that very clearly. But God sees and answers in the proper time, perhaps later than we have asked, or perhaps, as in Abraham’s case, beforehand, providing the ram already caught in the thicket.

 

How often have we received an answer to prayer only to realize events had been set in motion long before we prayed? We should be aware of and thankful for God’s anticipation of our needs. “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24). JDM

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December 28, 2016
The Time of Old Age
“Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.” (Psalm 71:18)

 

One tends to grow resentful against the limitations and increasing infirmities associated with aging, even complaining to God and others about growing old—at least until one considers the alternative! We need to remember that as long as the Lord preserves our lives, He has some ministry for us to perform for “this generation” and “to every one that is to come.”

 

The Scriptures abound with promises of blessing in old age, so growing old should be an occasion for rejoicing and deepened commitment to whatever the Lord enables one to do. “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: . . . Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age” (Psalm 92:12-14). But if there develops a tendency to grow spiritually cold with age, the admonition of Paul is appropriate. “Aged men [should] be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, . . . teachers of good things” (Titus 2:2-3).

 

Thus, the heartfelt prayer of the psalmist in our text is still appropriate today, for all who will, sooner than they think, enter the time of old age. Note also the following prayer: “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth” (Psalm 71:9). That God will answer such a prayer, offered in faith and sincerity, was affirmed by David when he said: “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalm 37:25). The time of old age can be a time of happy harvest if we have sowed the seeds of good fruit. HMM

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December 29, 2016
Absolute Trust
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him.” (Job 13:15-16)

 

The patriarch Job was, according to God’s own testimony, the most perfect and upright man in all the earth (Job 1:8), yet he was subjected to the most severe testings that anyone (except Christ Himself) ever had to endure. He lost all his great possessions and his large family in a single day, then was afflicted for months on end with a most loathsome and painful disease. He lost the respect of all who had once honored and followed him, and was even accused by his closest friends of being a wicked sinner and arrogant hypocrite. Worst of all, the God whom he had loved and faithfully served all his life had apparently completely ignored his prayers for deliverance or even for understanding of what was happening to him. Finally, a presumptuous young religionist related what he (falsely) claimed was a divine message that even God had accused Job of sin and hypocrisy.

 

Yet, despite all this, Job never once lost his faith! “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,” he insisted. “For I know that my redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25), and “he also shall be my salvation” (today’s verse).

 

What an example has been provided us by this ancient patriarch, whose knowledge of God’s Word, God’s love, and God’s great salvation through faith in Christ was only a small fraction of what we know now, with God’s complete revelation before us. The apostle James well reminds us of “the patience of Job,” probably the greatest example of all “the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience” (James 5:10-11). We can, like Job, know that He who created us deserves absolute trust. HMM

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December 30, 2016
Our Job as Ambassadors
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)

 

Christ has made each of us His ambassadors here on Earth. He is no longer here in the flesh, and so now He expects us to faithfully and effectively represent Him. As His ambassadors or representatives, He has given us two basic tasks to perform.

 

First of all, we are to spread the good news of salvation in such a way that unbelievers will be drawn to the light and out of their darkness. “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26:18). To do this, an ambassador must live a life of conformity to His life and teachings. “As he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation” (1 Peter 1:15), adequately representing Him.

 

Secondly, we are to saturate ourselves totally with the knowledge of His will and His Word so that we will be enabled to encourage other Christians, strengthening them for their duties as ambassadors as well. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), applying our attention to His directives. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

 

It has rightly been said that the only two things that will last for eternity are people and the Word of God. These things must occupy our attention if we are to be effective “ambassadors for Christ.” JDM

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December 31, 2016
Willful Sins
“For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:26-27)

 

This is one of the most controversial passages of Scripture because of its apparent conflict with passages that teach salvation by grace entirely apart from the law or any form of works (e.g., Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5), and absolute security in salvation to those who belong to Christ (e.g., John 10:28-29; Romans 8:35-39).

 

Actually, many passages warn against deliberate acts of sin by Christians. “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar” (1 John 2:4). “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him” (Titus 1:16).

 

Clearly, there are dozens of “proof texts” on both sides of this question, and it cannot be settled by citing a cliché or two in a brief study like this. There can be no real contradiction in God’s Word, however, so the Lord must have had a good reason for inspiring this apparent paradox in His book. On the one hand, it is vital for every true believer in Christ to know that He is saved and has eternal life. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). On the other hand, it is deadly dangerous for a person merely to think he or she is saved when there is no evidence of a changed life. Such Scriptures as our text give sober warning that professing Christians have no basis for any assurance of salvation if they do not obey His words. “Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments” (1 John 2:3). Therefore, “examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). HMM

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January 1, 2017
A New Song for a New Year
“Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.” (Psalm 33:3)

 

This is the first of nine references in the Bible to a “new song.” Appropriately, the song of Psalm 33 deals with the primeval event of creation, and it is the first psalm that does so (note also Psalm 104, etc.).

 

The new song is to be sung with instrumental accompaniment. However, the Hebrew word translated “loud noise” is so translated nowhere else; it is translated many different ways, but perhaps the familiar rendering “joyful sound” (Psalm 89:15) is the most appropriate here. In any case, this new song is of great importance and so should be performed well and joyfully, for it deals with the grandest of themes.

 

First of all is the great assertion that “the word of the LORD” is always right and the “works” of the Lord are always of truth (33:4). His righteousness and goodness are evident everywhere to those with eyes to see and hearts to believe (v. 5).

 

Then there is the vital revelation that God’s creation of all things was simply by His mighty word, “the breath of his mouth,” accomplished instantly, and not dragged out over long ages of evolutionary trial and error. “He spake, and it was done” (vv. 6, 9).

 

Furthermore, it is a comfort to know that God does not change, though new years come and go. “The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever” (v. 11). “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” (v. 12).

 

There are many other great themes in this new song, and it would indeed be well to read and rehearse them all as the new year begins, committing ourselves once again to the faithful teaching of His inerrant Word, His magnificent creation, and His great salvation. HMM

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January 2, 2017
The Hallelujah Psalms
“Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.” (Psalm 146:1)

 

The last five chapters in the book of Psalms (146–150) comprise what might be considered a great “Hallalujah Chorus” to this “Hallel” book—the “book of Israel’s praises,” as the book of Psalms was called by the Israelites.

 

Each psalm in this five-psalm group both begins and ends with an exclamatory “Praise ye the LORD,” or, in the Hebrew, “Hallelujah!” This word occurs 22 times in the book of Psalms. This is significant in that the Hebrew language has just 22 letters, suggesting to us that the very purpose of language is for God to reveal His Word to man and for man then to respond with thanksgiving and praise to God.

 

It is further significant that the letters of the Greek language in the New Testament begin with “alpha” and end with “omega,” and that Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, has reminded us that “I am Alpha and Omega” (Revelation 1:11; 22:13). The Greek word “Alleluia” occurs just four times in the New Testament, all at the great congregation in heaven that will assemble at the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (19:1-6, 9). This may also well be what is called “the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven” (Hebrews 12:23).

 

There, along with “an innumerable company of angels,” all the redeemed saints of all the ages will gather to rejoice and give thanks and “praise our God, all ye his servants” (Revelation 19:5). It seems possible—even probable—that these five Hallelujah psalms will constitute the testimonies of praise and thanksgiving that will be sung by this great congregation in the presence of the Lamb. The book of Psalms then closes with the great exhortation: “Let every thing that hath breath [or ‘Spirit’] praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD” (Psalm 150:6). HMM

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January 3, 2017
Blessed Are the Dead
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)

 

This promise applies specifically to those recent believers who will suffer martyrdom during the last half of the awful tribulation period (“henceforth,” in context). But dealing as it does with the state of the believing dead, in principle, it surely likewise applies to all who die “in the Lord.”

 

How are they blessed? In numerous ways, according to this verse.

 

First, they are blessed in that they “rest from their labors.” In this life we earn our physical sustenance by “the sweat of [our] face” (Genesis 3:19). Here we must work hard to train our minds (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Now we constantly battle our inward, fallen nature: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). Even as we attempt to serve our fellow man, our efforts are spurned and rejected. Not so for the dead! There all these labors will cease, and joyous, eternal service to the Lamb will commence (Revelation 22:3).

 

Secondly, they are blessed in that their labors continue to bear fruit even after they have gone. Perhaps even a previous word or act of testimony will be the eventual tool God uses to bring someone to Himself, and the reward will be properly distributed. No act done to the glory of God will pass unnoticed.

 

Thirdly, what a blessing to know that this state is promised by the very Spirit of God Himself. One’s worth at death is not measured by the content and sincerity of the opinions of friends at his funeral.

 

This doctrine should produce both great courage for the Christian and great comfort for the bereaved. JDM

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January 4, 2017 There Shall Be No Night “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 22:5)   In the account of the creation, we read that the first word from God was “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3). He did not actually create or make light, as He did everything else, since God is light (1 John 1:5). He did create darkness, however (Isaiah 45:7), and then divided the light from the darkness. “And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night” (Genesis 1:5).   Although the darkness of night can be a time of blessing through rest and sleep, it also soon came to symbolize spiritual darkness. Most evil deeds are done at night, and Christians are warned to “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11). God has called us “out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter 2:9).   In that wonderful age to come when we go to dwell in our eternal home in the Holy City, the city gates “shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there” (Revelation 21:25). “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Revelation 21:23).   The sun and moon will still be functioning in the heavens, however, for “he hath also stablished them for ever and ever” (Psalm 148:6). In fact, all the stars will also shine “for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). Our God is the Creator, not an un-creator. As wise Solomon noted: “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).   The sun and moon will still be there, but their light will not be needed in the Holy City where we shall live, for the Lamb of God will also be the Lamp of God. He is the Light of the world and where He is, in His eternal glory, there can be no night. HMM

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January 5, 2017
The Book of Books
“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.” (Genesis 5:1)

 

The Bible (literally “the book”) contains over 200 references to books. This implies, among other things, God’s approval of communication by books. Our text, containing the first mention of the word “book” in the Bible, indicates that the very first man wrote a book! “Give attendance to reading,” Paul recommends (1 Timothy 4:13), especially the Holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

 

The pattern of first and last mentions of “book” in the Bible is noteworthy, for all refer to divinely written or divinely inspired books. The first use in the New Testament is in the very first verse—“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ” (Matthew 1:1). The book of Adam’s “generations” is, in a special sense, the Old Testament; the book of the generation of Jesus Christ—the last Adam—is, in a similar sense, the New Testament.

 

The final mention of “book” in the Old Testament is in Malachi 3:16: “A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.”

 

The third-from-last verse of the New Testament contains no less than three references to God’s books: “If any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, . . . and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:19).

 

Note the significant modifiers attached to these six key references: “the book of the generations of Adam,” “a book of remembrance,” “the book of the generation of Jesus Christ,” “the book of this prophecy,” “the book of life,” and finally, simply “this book”! HMM

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January 6, 2017 Raised Us Up Together “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6)   The Bible clearly identifies the resurrection of Christ as central to the Christian message, just as crucial as the atoning death of Christ. “If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). And just as surely as Christ is raised, we who have put our faith in Him shall be raised.   What kind of body will we have then? “We shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). In His resurrection body, He could appear and disappear (John 20:19), pass through closed doors (v. 26), be felt by others (Matthew 28:9; John 20:27), eat food (Luke 24:42, 43), and He eventually rose into heaven (Acts 1:9).   Paul, who has been dead nearly 2,000 years, asserted: “We look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21). How can a person long since dead, whose spirit has been in God’s presence, receive once again a body? This, of course, is a miracle, for the physical elements that once made up Paul’s earthly body have long ago changed their form, and even while he was alive were continually being replaced. No, God will not restore a prior body to the dead but will present them with a new “glorious” body, fit for the eternal environment and service of heaven. Paul could only write of it by analogy, comparing the difference between the old and the new bodies to the difference between a seed and a plant, to different kinds of living things, and to different kinds of celestial bodies. “So also is the resurrection of the dead.” It is sown in corruption, dishonor, weakness, as a natural body, but it is raised in incorruption, glory, and power, as a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:37-44). JDM

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January 7, 2017
The Mount of Olives
“And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.” (2 Samuel 15:30)

 

The Mount of Olives overlooks Jerusalem from the east. This first reference to it notes the sad occasion when King David had to flee Jerusalem for his life, escaping the conspiracy of his estranged son Absalom.

 

Just as David wept over Jerusalem as he left it, so would his greater son, Jesus, a thousand years later, weep over the city as He entered it from Mount Olivet (Luke 19:37, 41). It was there that He gave the great prophecy of His second coming (Matthew 24:3). It was also there He went with His disciples after the last supper, and there He agonized in prayer, alone, in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:26, 32). Finally, after His death and resurrection, it was from the Mount of Olives that He ascended back into heaven (Acts 1:10-12).

 

This is far from the end of the story, however. The Mount of Olives has an amazing role yet to play in the world’s future, according to a prophecy given long ago. “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, . . . And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south” (Zechariah 14:1, 4). Instead of a mountain there will be a valley, and “living waters shall go out from Jerusalem” (v. 8). Instead of a mountain for weeping there will be a stream of rejoicing, and “the LORD shall be king over all the earth” (v. 9). HMM

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January 8, 2017 Fountain of Life “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” (Proverbs 14:27)   This beautiful phrase, “fountain of life,” is used several times in the Old Testament, serving as a metaphor to illuminate a number of important aspects of spiritual faith and experience. Our text stresses “the fear of the LORD” as providing deliverance from death to life, picturing this new life as flowing from a heavenly spring.   A very similar verse is Proverbs 13:14: “The law of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” Thus, the fear of the Lord is somehow tantamount to “the law of the wise.” Those who are wise will fear the Lord and thus receive living water from “the fountain of life.”   King David penned the wonderful truth of Psalm 36:9: “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.” “God is light” (1 John 1:5), so “the fountain of life” becomes the source also of all true light, whether physical or spiritual. “In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).   The same word is rendered as “well” in Proverbs 10:11: “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.” When a believer has received life from the divine fountain, his testimony becomes a fountain of life.   The Lord Himself is the fountain of life in Jeremiah’s prophecy, but the supposed people of God have refused to drink. “For my people . . . have forsaken me the fountain of living waters” (Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13).   Nevertheless, this fountain is still there for all who will come. The Bible’s last promise has to do with this great fountain, which yields “a pure river of water of life, . . . proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. . . . And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:1, 17). HMM

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January 9, 2017 The Chief Fathers “Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs.” (Acts 7:8)   Without these patriarchs’ faithful contribution and commitment to a future they could hardly understand, you and I would be without the historical evidence of the biblical foundation upon which our faith rests.   Abraham, who was used by God to be the “father of many nations,” was given a covenant (Genesis 12:1-3) that applies to all who are saved by faith in the work of God accomplished through Jesus Christ on the cross, who rose from the grave and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father. Abraham became the example of salvation by faith (Romans 4:1-16; Galatians 3:9-24).   Isaac was the Promised Seed from whom the nation Israel came. He is the Old Testament example of the willing sacrifice of the Messiah yet to come (Hebrews 11:17-19), and he became the genetic head of Israel (Romans 9:7).   Jacob is an example of God’s sovereign right to choose those whom He wills to serve Him (Romans 9:10-13). He is often misjudged for his “deception” of Isaac, yet Isaac had chosen the wicked Esau to inherit the blessing even though Jacob was chosen prior to his birth to be the heir (Genesis 25:23). Jacob fathered 12 sons through four wives, and God Himself changed his name to Israel (Genesis 32:28; 35:22).   Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt and was responsible for preserving the budding nation of Israel. He is an example of the steadfast, trusting, and faithful servant who simply expects God to accomplish the good God intended (Genesis 50:20; Acts 7:9-18).   Perhaps the struggles, sacrifices, and successes of their lives need to be a fresh memory for each of us. HMM III

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January 10, 2017
Abram the Called
“So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.” (Genesis 12:4)

 

It is not clear from the text just how God made Himself known to Abram when He called him to go to Canaan. The language would imply that there was an audible conversation of some sort—far different from what you and I might expect today. At the time of this calling, Abram was a not then a follower of Yahweh, yet the circumstances of God’s intervention were enough to persuade Abram to uproot his family and start the journey.

 

Abram’s calling and initial response (Genesis 12:1-5) are analogous to an “awakening,” the initial faith to “see” God (Ephesians 2:8). There were no specifics in God’s promise, only broad terms of blessing.

 

Abram’s response was all that he knew to do at that time, to respond in obedience (non-resistance) just as the Scripture implies we are to do (1 Thessalonians 2:13; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2-5). Salvation is completely God’s doing; our “work” is never involved (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 10:8-17). All we can ever do is rebel and reject the drawing that God wields (John 6:44). Damnation is man’s work (John 3:19-21; Romans 1:18-32).

 

That is why Abram became the biblical example of the faithful (Galatians 3:6-9; Hebrews 11:8-10). The actual moment of Abram’s “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:24) seems to have come somewhat later when he “believes God” (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3). Although repentance and faith may come in a rapid sequence, sometimes (especially in adult conversions) the events may be drawn out over time. Either way, it is by “grace are ye saved, through faith” (Ephesians 2:8). HMM III

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January 11, 2017
Abram's Trust Test
“And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.” (Genesis 12:10)

 

After Abram moved to Canaan at God’s calling, a test came in the form of a severe famine in the new “land of promise.” He became consumed with worry about business survival, leading him to make the decision to leave the land God had promised to give him and take himself and his family into the great empire of Egypt.

 

Egypt was dominated, as is every world system, by a pagan government. Abram knew this. Yet, motivated by a fear for his personal safety, colored by a self-induced, self-protecting imagination, he became willing to risk the moral compromise of his wife (to say nothing of the potential of destroying God’s promise of an heir) and made an awful decision (Genesis 12:10-13).

 

Sure enough, what Abram feared seemed to happen. Sarai was rather quickly taken into Pharaoh’s harem. And things seemed to go well as a result; he prospered doing business (Genesis 12:14-16). Sometimes, things work out as we think they might—but God’s sovereign plan will always override our foolish and deceitful behavior (Genesis 12:17-20).

 

It was a long time before the testimony of Abram was restored in Egypt. Not only did his sin become public knowledge, but the pagan rulers rebuked him for his error (Genesis 12:20). God may undo the potential damage of our foolish behavior, but the spiritual damage is real. The biblical principle is: “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23).

 

Fortunately, God is also the God of mercy and forgiveness. Abram returned to Canaan, repented of his sin, and restored his fellowship with God. When such sin enters our lives, we can learn the lesson and regain our role with our Creator, just as Abram did. HMM III

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January 12, 2017 Abram's Obedience Test “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. . . . And he gave him tithes of all.” (Genesis 14:18, 20)   This is one of the more curious passages of the Old Testament. Abram had rescued his nephew Lot, along with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, after a fierce running battle with a five-king federation led by Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam (Genesis 14:1-17).   As Abram returned victorious from the battle, he was met by Melchizedek, the king of Salem, who seems either to represent or actually be the pre-incarnate Person of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 7:1-3). Melchizedek greeted Abram with words of victory and praise, to which Abram responded with a no-nonsense declaration of his service to the “most high God” (Genesis 14:22-24).   The king of Sodom offered to let Abram take the spoils of war. The custom was (and is) well established that the victor was due all the value of the conquered land. Abram’s response was most gracious. Not only would he take nothing for himself other than what was due his servants and confederates, but he would return everything outside of the tithe to the original owners. “Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils” (Hebrews 7:4).   It is here that tithing is established in Scripture, long before the Mosaic law. The event is so incidental that it seems the custom had already been in practice for some time. Whatever the case, Abram offers “tithes of all” to Melchizedek without a second thought. Centuries later, the Lord Jesus told the Pharisees that they ought to pay their tithes “and not to leave the [weightier matters] undone” (Matthew 23:23). It is interesting how much the tithing practice is still debated among God’s children. HMM III

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January 13, 2017 Abram"s Endurance Test “And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.” (Genesis 15:3-4)   Right after Abram’s meeting with Melchizedek, God verified and amplified His promise to him with the added insights that God would be Abram’s “shield” and “reward” (Genesis 15:1). The preceding years had been somewhat difficult for Abram, and he needed assurance that the One he believed in was both his Savior and Provider.   The Lord walked Abram through an elaborate covenant ceremony (Genesis 15:9-21) in which He told Abram much of the future and reiterated the promise that God would give the land to Abram and his descendants. Given the personal visit, Abram would have been expectant of some indication of the fulfilment of the promise of an heir and the coming “nations,” but it would be a total of 25 years before Abram saw the fulfilment of that promise.   Nothing. No visible evidence of God’s promise was forthcoming. Others failed (Lot most noticeably), and Sarai herself gave up after 11 years and insisted that Abram bear her a child through Hagar, her handmaid (Genesis 16:15).   Finally, when Abram was 99, God appeared before him again and issued the command: “I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect” (Genesis 17:1). Isaac would be born the next year, but the complete fulfillment of that promise is yet to be realized (John 11:25-26; Mark 13:13). HMM III

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January 14, 2017 Abraham's Intercession Test “I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.” (Genesis 18:21-22)   Three “men” stood before Abraham’s tent, two of whom were later revealed to be angels (Genesis 18:2; 19:1). One of them, however, was none other than the Creator Himself (as the visible Word of God), who told Abraham of the beginning of the fulfillment of His earlier promise of a son (Genesis 18:10, 14).   As the Lord reiterated the promise (now nearly 25 years dormant), the confrontation with Sarah began (Genesis 18:9-15). She “laughs” at the repeated promise, citing her old and “worn out” body as an excuse. Most noteworthy here is the immediate response of God: “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14). Although Sarah mocked the Lord’s promise, Abraham reacted with the laughter of joy and anticipation. His faith was now firm and confident (Genesis 18:16-22).   As God told him of His immediate plan to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham began his intercession on behalf of any righteous residents there (Genesis 19:23-32). Yet, even though the Lord yielded each time to Abraham’s limiting request, it was clear that the wickedness of those cities would come under the righteous judgment of a holy God.   Abraham “returned unto his place” (Genesis 18:33), knowing that while he had prayed for God’s grace, he was satisfied that God’s judgment was “righteous altogether” (Psalm 19:9). The contrast of attitude toward God’s Word is on display in this section of Scripture. “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves” (Psalm 100:3). HMM III

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January 15, 2017 Abraham's Separation Test “Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.” (Genesis 21:10-11)   After Isaac had been weaned, Sarah noticed Ishmael mocking her and Isaac (Genesis 21:9). During the years since Hagar had given birth to Ishmael (at the insistence of Sarah), Abraham had grown to love Ishmael and had no doubt treated him and Hagar with respect. Now this sudden banishment was demanded under terms that were both harsh and apparently arbitrary.   Nonetheless, God approved because Hagar and Ishmael had become the specific illustration of a distinction between the “flesh” and the “heir” (Genesis 21:12). Although God would take care of Ishmael for Abraham’s sake, Abraham must separate himself and his family from that which would never become part of the Messianic line (Galatians 4:23-31).   The contrast of the two sons is a major teaching in Scripture. Galatians 3:16-29 provides most of the main biblical information. The promise was made to “the seed” (as singular), and the focus is on Christ, not Isaac. All people are under sin and are given the promise by faith. When we believe, we become children of God, in vivid contrast to the “son of the bondwoman.”   That faith is outside of physical relationships, and we become heirs according to the promise. That sacred relationship has been verified by God Himself (Hebrews 6:17-20), making us nothing less than joint-heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:17-21). Thus, all who are heirs can never be connected to the “bondwoman” (Galatians 4:30-31). HMM III

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January 16, 2017 Lot's Fateful Choice “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere. . . . Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.” (Genesis 13:10-11)   Some otherwise righteous folks are unable to handle wealth. Lot and Abram had become so wealthy “that they could not dwell together” (Genesis 13:6), and Lot fell into the classic temptation—loving “all that is in the world” (1 John 2:16).   Beginning by pitching “his tent toward Sodom” (Genesis 13:12), Lot later “dwelt in Sodom, and his goods” (Genesis 14:12). And even though he was “vexed” by the “filthy” behavior of those with whom he was living (2 Peter 2:7-8), Lot finally “sat in the gate of Sodom”—a Hebrew idiom for holding a political place of power in the city (Genesis 19:1).   We are told that Lot was a just and righteous man (2 Peter 2:7-8). But ungodly choices always produce tragic results. When the angels arrived to bring God’s judgment, his children had intermarried with Sodomites and had been lost (Genesis 19:12-14). His wife wouldn’t leave (Genesis 19:26), and his wealth was destroyed with the destruction of the cities.   Lot’s reputation and eternal place in Kingdom history are equally tragic. Although rescued by the angels, his legacy is: “Remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). Although granted his wish to live in a “little” city (Genesis 19:20), his daughters corrupted themselves with him, and the pagan nations of Moab and Ammon were the result (Genesis 19:30-38). Although we will see Lot in heaven, he became the epitome of one whose works are “burned” and he is saved, “yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). Even small ungodly choices can cause us to lose “a full reward” (2 John 1:8). HMM III

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January 17, 2017 Eliezer's Faithful Service “And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had . . . go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.” (Genesis 24:2, 4)   Abraham required a most sacred vow from Eliezer (Genesis 15:2) to secure a bride for Isaac from the line of Shem rather than from the Canaanites (Genesis 24:3-4, 9). Eliezer had Abraham’s complete trust, with access and permission to all of his wealth (Genesis 24:10).   The Bible notes how Eliezer prepared for the success of the mission with adequate resources (employees, wealth, etc.), and went straight to his destination with no wasted time en route. Along the way he must have anticipated how to discern a proper wife and asked God for verification that He approved of the selection.   Eliezer’s request indicated he had in mind a lady who must be strong, healthy, and industrious, with no delusions of a life of ease. She must also be gracious, sensitive, and compassionate. Eliezer’s prayer did not presume. He knew the assignment and was asking for guidance on how to “see” the character of the potential wife (Genesis 24:12-14).   Eliezer was further aware of his being “in the way” (Genesis 24:27). That is, he was clearly aware that he was acting under godly authority and was seeking the leading of the Lord Himself. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD” (Psalm 37:23), and our paths are directed when we “acknowledge him” (Proverbs 3:6).   After Eliezer completed defining his task, he insisted that an immediate decision be made so that he could finish his assignment. Once the family and Rebecca agreed, Eliezer made sure that the mission was completed by bringing the new bride home to Isaac (Genesis 24:32-67). Would to God that all of us were as faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). HMM III