I Samuel 28:3-25 - Saul's Final Rejection

I Samuel 28:3-25 

Now therefore, please let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering; but if it is men, cursed are they before the Lord, for they have driven me out today that I should have no attachment with the inheritance of the Lord, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.' (verse 19)

Message: Saul's Final Rejection

Time: This book is a biography of Samuel's life and career up to his death. It took place over a period of about 110 years, stretching from the closing days of the judges, when Samuel was born (ca. 1120 BC) through the death of Saul (1011 BC).

What the Lord is Saying: This lesson begins with continued word of Samuel's death and the lamenting which occurs. Also, the announcement here that "Saul had removed from the land those who were mediums and spiritists" (verse 3). Philistines are in Shunem; Saul with Israel in Gilboa. Saul sees the camp of Philistines and is afraid so inquires of the Lord, but receives no answer. Needing answers, he asks for a medium. He had outlawed mediums and spiritists so he disguises himself and shows up before the medium who warns him about Saul's removal of her trade and the danger. Saul proceeds though. 

Saul asks the woman to bring up Samuel. Then she realizes he is Saul. 

Saul confronts this spirit of Samuel. Samuel says that Saul's kingship has been given to David. The issue is Samuel "did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek" (verse 18). This is the passage from 1 Samuel 14-15 when Saul adapted what the Lord had told him. Saul feared these words and fell down with "no strength in him" (verse 20). But the woman provides food for Saul. 

Saul is desperate. The Philistines are nearby, the people he was supposed to conquer but instead he finds himself running from. At times, it was his son Jonathan that led a charge against the Philistines. Saul has led not a great life. He looks the part, but he doesn't act like it and yet he is bothered when others get the glory, like David began to get after defeating the Philistine Goliath. He seems to be at the end now and once again, starts with God but doesn't end there and seeks out other ways to get answer. Granted, the answer comes. God provides the answer, but it is not in the manner that was intended or should have been done. It is a reminder that God has a plan that we are to follow, we fail, but God continues to make His message known. 

God's ways happen. But that doesn't mean the actions of Saul were justified because he got the answer. He didn't do it God's way and God wants people that will follow His plans. 

Summary: Once again, fearing the Philistines, Saul asks God, but grows impatient and seeks a medium and receives confirmation that David is to be the new king, replacing him. 

Promise: We must stay close to God's commands. His pattern is the intended path for us.

Prayer: Lord, you are great and mighty and your ways are intended to be kept, but your plan will remain and You will be glorified and work things out according to that plan. But along the way we your people will either respond with obedience or disobedience. Nothing will thwart your way Lord, but we your people need to be people that trust You. I need to have my desire to be obedient, even though, yes, I sin and mess up. But what is my heart? I believe it is to glorify You. Unlike Saul who still had selfish ways and stopped at nothing to get answers. Help me to be one that surrenders to You. Give me grace and guidance as I speak to people. I want to be one that trusts You always and surrenders to You.  

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

Judges 12 and 13 - The Birth of Samson

Judges 12 and 13

For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines. - Verse 5

Message: The Birth of Samson

Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). 

What the Lord is Saying: In verse 1 of chapter 12, the men of Ephraim are bothered with Jephthah. He fought the Ammonites as the "Spirt of the Lord" came upon him and he subdued them "before the people of Israel" (11:33). The men of Ephraim wanted to go. This is reminiscent of chapter 8 when the men of Ephraim came also to Gideon bothered that they were not called when he fought Midian. Jephthah remarks that he did try to call them and they refused, but what is done is done. Ephraim continues to be bitter rather than celebrating the victories. Jephthah then conquered Ephraim. And eventually 42,000 died. I am not sure if the Lord was over this work Jephthah had done, but no reason to think he was not. Jephthah is recorded in Hebrews 11:32-33 as someone who by faith conquered kingdoms. He judged 6 years (12:8). And yet I am not sure the Hebrews verse gives the idea that any of those individuals were flawless as I don't think Jephthah was. He did exercise faith, but he might have also done things uncharacteristic of a man of faith as others might have done, but that's okay. God works in many different people's lives. 

I think of Ravi Zacharias. A man who was celebrated as a leading apologist and could debate well often and an evangelical minister, but following his death in 2020 it was discovered he a sexual harassment issues for many years of his ministry and just like that, all of his works were silenced. Definitely can't excuse his sin, but does that nullify all of his work? Can Ravi still be called a man of faith? 

The chapter ends with the mention of 3 more judges: Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon. Ibzan had 60 children and married them all. Jephthah had 1 child. Some are increased, others diminished; all is the Lord’s doing. Ibzan judged 7 years. Elon judged 10 years. No children mentioned. Abdon had 40 sons and judged 8 years. 

Chapter 13 begins with a familiar word, "the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, so that the Lord gave them into the hands of the Philistines forty years." After many years of having judges, the people once again acquiesce into the ways and manners of the people among them and start looking less like a servant of God and more like the people of the Word. The entire chapter chronicles the announcement of Samson to his father Manoah by an angel of the Lord. He would grow up and be blessed by the Lord (13:24). 

It is interesting as this entire chapter chronicles the angel of the Lord's announcement and the surprise of his father Manoah and all that the father wants to do in response of this announcement for the angel of the Lord. These angels of the Lord are often quite interesting in our Bible. Manoah was reluctant to believe. In many ways, like Gideon who wanted confirmations as well. But like Gideon, it did not matter with God - he was going to make it happen even through the questions of a person. He has a plan - a sovereign plan for people. It is a reminder once again that God works and He works often through imperfect people. And that is okay. 

Summary: Jephthah conquers Ephraim. Judges Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon follow. Then Israel does evil in the sight of the Lord and the angel of the Lord announces to Manoah and his wife the birth of Samson. 

Promise: People need to see that we believe in the Lord. But it is rarely a perfect belief. But let them sill see - our children and those around us. 

Prayer: God, you remind me in these verses to keep fighting the fight and keep continuing the faith. It is one of perseverance and endurance but it is rarely perfect. There are questions and it is important to pray through those questions, for your will in me and for me to know you better through life. I do pray for your intervention - your providence. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

Judges 4:1-16; 5:1-5, 21 - Deborah and Barak

Judges 4:1-16; 5:1-5, 21

4 “Lord, when You went out from Seir,

When You marched from the field of Edom,

The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped,

Even the clouds dripped water.

5 “The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord,

This Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.

Message: Deborah and Barak

Time: Judges covers about 250 years from death of Joshua to birth of Samuel (1360-1110 BC). The people of Israel largely divided with different local triable judges. It was a period of stirring interventions by the Lord and also great disobedience on the part of the Israelites. Without a king, everyone did right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25). 

What the Lord is Saying: I am noticing a common phrase now in these passages of Judges, "Then the Sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." I see this in 2:11, 3:7, 3:12, and now here in 4:1. This seems to be the purpose of this book - Israel enters a period of falling away from the Lord. They profess a faith in Him. God chooses them. They are to follow Him, but they have these periods of not doing that. It seems they lack a leader. God judges them in some way and will raise up a judge to lead them. That judge will pull them back to the life they are to live before the Lord. Left to their own ways and devices, they lose their ways. There is something needed - a leader for the people. 

It seems today we often look for this leader. It seems to be our pastor or Sunday School teacher or another leader we believe God has placed in our lives to lead us. I wonder if this was part of the reason of having the Pope for Roman Catholics. 

After 4:1 and the evil they did, "The Lord sold them in the hand of Jabin king of Canaan." Here it is again. The people do evil and before raising up a judge to deliver them that generally is preceded by they crying out to the Lord. Maybe the word that is said is that while they are doing evil in the sight of the Lord, they are fine with that and God sends them a wake up call hopefully, leading them through some sort of discipline through a man-made king that God orchestrates for his purposes. At this time, this lasted 20 years. 

Deborah is on the scene (v. 4), judging Israel, and the son of Israel come to her for judgment (v. 5). She summoned Barak (v. 6). She speaks to Barak stating that she give over to them the commander of Jabin's army (v. 7) - Sisera. Deborah and Barak go together, committed to one another. "And all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left. (v. 16)"

Chapter 5, verse 1 mentions now a song Deborah and Barak sing. It is a praise song in response to what God has done for them, in response of who God is to them. "I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel (verse 3)." Plus we learn more about the judgement that begat Sisera. It included a storm sent to flood the Kishon River to help the advantage to Israel (v. 4-5). 

God uses Deborah to guide Barak. Barak doesn't seem to be a huge man of faith. Instead of waiting on God, he is waiting on Deborah's direction (4:8). Deborah is not a military leader but she is somewhat the guide in this whole judgment. She is a prophetess. 

Overall, God continues to work through people to carry out His purposes. Sometimes through discipline and judgment and sometimes through rescue. We need both. We need to turn to Him and direct our trust in Him. God wants a people that will follow Him and trust in Him. Not everyone will. Not everyone is on the Lord's side. For those that are, He has a deep care and concern for and as they get of course, he will judge them and use others that are not of His kingdom as well to act as judges. 

Summary: Once again, Israel does evil in the sight of the Lord. After being sold over to the king of Canaan, Deborah and Barak team up to deliver Israel from that king. 

Promise: God uses different people to address evil in His less than perfect people. 

Prayer: God, you are holy and true and you are a jealous God. You have a purpose with us, as your people and that is for us to follow You and trust You all of our days. As we do not, you sometimes will do things in our lives to get our attention. You judge those who continue to ignore you. You are pulling us back to You. And yet there are many in this world that are completely against You. That is not a popular message I know, but it seems to be a true one. What is important is for me to be one that stays close to You and honors You and seeks to glorify You in all I do. Help me to be the best person you have called me to be. Forgive me for my error. I am not a perfect man, nor even a good man. I am only good because of You. I need your help and I thank You for the people that you place in my life, friends to spur me onto love and good deeds and leaders that you place in my path. You are worthy of my praise. I praise your name. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

Joshua 6 - The Fall of Jericho

Joshua 6

And it came about at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the Lord Has given you the city." - verse 16

Message: The Fall of Jericho

Time: Joshua "Yahweh saves" led Israel, under God's command, to victorious conquest of the Promised Land. The book spans about 25 years, beginning about 1406 BC. The conquest of Canaan, numerous military campaigns and regathering of the nation are major components. 

What the Lord is Saying: This is a hard text to read. The text states that the Lord told Joshua that he and all the men will march around the city once for six days (v.3) and seven priests will carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark (v. 4). Then on the seventh day, all will march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing their trumpets. And then their will be a long blast with the ram's horn and the city wall will fall down (v. 5). Joshua clarified with the people that only on the 7th day are they to shout (v.10). Only Rahab will live or be spared (v. 17). From the city of Jericho, silver, gold, bronze, iron are set aside for the treasury of the Lord (v. 19). They shouted and took the city with the wall coming down (v. 20). Everything in the city was destroyed - man/woman, young/old, ox/sheep/donkey. Rahab and her family were spared (v. 23). Everything else was burned (v. 24). Then an oath was given by Joshua to not rebuild this city (v. 26). 

A city like Jericho was fortified with a large wall around the city as a defense, preventing them from being captured. With gates shut, it would be difficult to penetrate the city. The people of Israel must have thought it to be preposterous that they are to simply walk around the city 6 days one time and they 7 times on the 7th day and the wall would come down. But this is also the God that parted seas. They were given a command and the followed through on it and did as they were told and the wall came down as they were told it would. 

It is hard to read of those people, that they were annihilated. Yet the Canaanites were a people that only at this time were told they would be annihilated. Only for this time. Why? For they practiced detestable things. They were guilty of sin and encouraging others to sin and their ruin was prophetic. Deuteronomy 20:16-18, "Only in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, you shall not leave alive anything that breathes. But you shall utterly destroy them, the Hitite and the Amorite, the Canaanite and the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, as the Lord your God has commanded you, in order that they may not teach you to do according to all their detestable things which they have done for their gods, so that you would sin against the Lord your God." Also Leviticus 18 is a warning when the Lord says, "You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes." 

This is a stark reminder that not all people are part of his saved ones. There is wrath to come for the impenitent. Rahab escapes by trusting in God. The goal is for people to be a people of faith, walking with God, trusting Him. 

Summary: The Lord provides the fall of Jericho, a city where people do detestable things, sinning against the Lord and with a shout, the walls of Jericho fall. 

Promise: The Lord will bless us when we fight according to the means He has given us.

Prayer: God, thank you for placing me on your side. There are consequences to people seeking their own way and encouraging others to do detestable things. Help me be a person that shows people the right way to live and to walk according to Your ways as you have intended. Pull the blinders off of people that act in way that does not honor you. Help people to read your word and see from it truth, the truth of who you are. Thank you for showing your power and your providence through these people and continuing to show how you provide for people that you have called. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

Various Scripture - Total Depravity Lessons

Genesis 1:27

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Message: The Heights from Which we have Fallen

What the Lord is Saying: It is clear from my study of the Bible, of these Gospels and even of the last two chapters of John 8 and 9 that many do not believe. They have a slant away from God. They are not trying to discover Him. They are people without a need for they believe they have the answers and their reason for talking about Jesus is to discredit Him and to add evidence or credence to their lives that He is not real and should be rejected as Lord and Savior. We describe these people being totally depraved. They don't want the things of God. 

But in saying one is totally depraved, this does not mean a person is utterly depraved and has only evil in them. I believe all the good we describe in our world as good has as its author God. And so whatever is good is from God, even if the one giving the good may not acknowledge God. As today's verse says, every person has been created in the image of God and every person has the potential and will do good things as a God creation. For those that refuse to acknowledge God, there seems to be something in them that prevents them from this acknowledgement. They are depraved. Sin has darkened their understanding of Him. Depraved does not necessarily the person acts with evil as their ambition for their lives. 

This is a hard lesson and many will not understand it because we hold onto this notion that people are good. People are good but their willingness to accept Jesus and live for Him above all things in life is what we are talking about here. We are talking about whether people will have a desire for spiritual things and desire to glorify God above everything else in their lives. We are talking about people and whether they will deny themselves and take up their cross. Yesterday, the pastor talked about sinners and I thought to myself that for one to come to know God they first must see that they are a sinner, that they are in need, that they are imperfect and need something more than themselves. That they don't have all the answers. 

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Luke 11:11-13

11 Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Message: Utter Depravity

What the Lord is Saying: I have acknowledged that people can do good - be kind to others, even love unconditionally, and they can do these even unselfishly as well as selfishly. But their goal in doing these things is very often not to honor God. Even those who do evil often could have done more evil. We may think that what they have done is entirely evil, but it always could have been worse. Thus, utter depravity is always sinning to the greatest degree possible, again all of the time. But as Luke 11 shows, even those being evil still give good gifts to their children. Everyone has potential, but that doesn't mean everyone has a desire to please God with how they live. 

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Romans 1:21-23

21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Message: Radical Corruption

What the Lord is Saying: RC Sproul has mentioned that instead of saying with are totally depraved, perhaps we can use the phrase radical corruption. Every part of our being is corrupted, even though each of us has the ability and can still practice good. We are not evil to the fullest extent. And it is radical because sin has corrupted every part of our human nature. We are not simply creatures where we are looking for the good to outweigh the bad. We are bent away from God and the things that please him. We have to train ourselves to be Godly (I Timothy 4:7-8). We will do good out of fear of punishment, not necessarily out of love for God. In today's passage, even though we know God we don't thank Him for life and instead look inward to define life. We reason away him thinking we are being wise. My atheist friend in London does this all of the time. He believes I am gullible and he is smart. He has exchanged God for an animal to define man. 

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Romans 1:24-31

24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful;

Message: The "Normalcy" of Sin

What the Lord is Saying: One of the problems with total depravity or radical corruptness in the eyes of many is the fact that sin has somewhat been normalized and we in society often acknowledge certain sins as offensive like murder, but other sins that every one seems to commit like telling white lies or being disobedient to parents or even using God's name in a flippant manner like the slang, OM_, has made us complacent to the seriousness of sin and disobeying God. The Parable of the Tax Collector voices words from the Pharisee that he is not like the tax collector. He doesn't do the really bad stuff so he must be okay. And then he says he does do certain works to offset any bad that has been committed. What he fails to see is the holiness of God and His standard. The one-time sin is as great as the multiple sinful life. Many will agree with most of the sins listed here in Romans 1:29-31 like murder, but what about gossips or those even who are arrogant, boastful or lacking in understanding, do we often place those on a different chart of acceptable behavior? 

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Romans 1:32

and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Message: The Sinfulness of Sin

What the Lord is Saying: It is bad enough that we have normalized sin, but we take it a step further as Romans 1:32 states. The move of sin to acceptable behavior comes about when we come together in groups and sometimes simply one with another to agree over the sin. I think this is the move in society that we see to further normalize it. I think the homosexual and pride events that are now an annual celebration in our cities are a stark example of this, taking something that is blatantly wrong and we instead join forces to celebrate it, in the name of loving our neighbor. God loves us, but hates sin and nowadays society doesn't know how to separate those two ideas. And yet we even do this as Christians, sometimes in sharing prayer requests out of concern for our Christian brother it might move to pride that we are not like that other person and we are shocked by the sinfulness of their behavior. I must admit that I will often pick apart someone's behavior, getting others to agree with me - and all the while I can feel the Holy Spirit convicting me to not speak in this manner. I sense the Spirit providing a way out (I Cor 10:13) and yet the more I speak, the harder it is not to not speak. 

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John 8:14

Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going.

Message: Enslaved to Sin

What the Lord is Saying: Many can acknowledge that we are all sinners, that we all disobey God. In sharing with people in an evangelism setting, people can admit often they have told a lie. I've mentioned previously that people are capable of doing good. God is good and all that He has created has been good and so anyone can be a conduit for this good. But the harder idea is moving to pleasing God. Mark 12:30 gives us the goal: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." That move to all is the big step in us. God clearly wants this as we see numerous examples of this throughout the Old Testament. The issue here is we like to think that each of us is capable on our own to move us out of a bad situation. I love reading people's testimonies of how God has changed their lives. Often the one's that stand out are the people that have practices a very clear life of opposing God. And then to see the awakening that took place in their life. Some are moved to this awakening but others aren't. It seems clear that God sovereignty is the key that we often don't recognized or call to our attention. Lately I've been memorizing Ephesians 2:1-2, "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walking according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience." This is a radical statement that I seriously wonder if many of us believe or can accept or even see. That we were spiritually dead and that this deadness was because of the prince of darkness and an evil spirit moving in people towards disobedience. 

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Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Message: Total Moral Inability

What the Lord is Saying: I did not realize when I was writing earlier that this next lesson is on Ephesians 2. This is a powerful text. But this idea in verse 2 verses is people are enslaved and living in disobedience. What will make them change? Paul uses powerful language to say a person is dead. It seems consistent to Jesus saying one must be born again. What will shift them will be their faith in verse 8. But prior to that they are living on this earth - dead. A sober reality. A sober proclamation. But as I have seen, what changes in people is the Spirit of God awakening them. But how this is done I am not sure we are clear on. And so these lessons have yes chronicled the condition of people, that some are depraved or stated another way, radically corrupted. The world has corrupted their thinking. The prince of the power of the air has corrupted them. In our world we see those who are made alive in Christ and those who are not. I think we need to find the harvest and pray that the Lord would lead us to the harvest, that we might share with them to help them discover Jesus and the Savior he can be to their life. We are His workmanship (verse 10). 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's. 

Genesis 3:15 - Covenantal Intervention

Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.

Message: Covenantal Intervention

Time: Genesis is the first book and Moses is credited as authoring. The book spans 2400 years of time. It was originally written in Hebrew.

What the Lord is Saying:

I have always tried to look at the gospel in a very simple way. The basic idea that I see is God created order, man broke that order, and God fixed it. Rather than God fixing it alone most of religion and life think that man is the one who fixes things. The problem I see with this is there is never any peace for man on earth because man is always trying to figure out which formula will result in things getting fixed. It also assumes that man can fix it on his own and eventually goodness will outweigh all of the bad's committed. On the contrary, when God is the one who fixes it, he does it completely and without any error.

Thus the idea of God's grace or rather God delivering man is quite foreign to man's thinking. As a reminder, the first covenant of the Bible between God and man marked the idea that man's works would inherit eternal life. But, this was a covenant that came about before man ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Thus, the covenant of works was possible when there was no knowledge of good and evil. But when Adam and Eve broke the covenant of works, pain and futility entered the picture and men and women face great sorrow and hardship.

Man became bent toward disobedience. Before Adam and Eve ate from the tree they had a desire to do those things pleasing to God, but sin twisted this and on our own we can't ever truly seek truth. So we need God to intervene. God's intervention is now known as God's grace. God redeems His creation. God does the work. God intercedes for man. This verse in Genesis 3:15 marks what is known as the first gospel or the protoevangelion. It is the first revelation of the covenant of grace. Under works, blessings come from doing good works. The problem is God's acceptance is based upon perfect obedience, not simply doing more good than bad. Grace is focused instead on faith not obedience. When people understand this grace and the gift of God, they naturally want to live good lives, but all the time they are forgiven by God whenever they sin.

Paul speaks of this in Romans 4 where he talks about Abraham becoming righteous apart from the work of circumcision. He was credited with righteousness while uncircumcised. We are made righteous apart from works.

In Genesis 3:15, God is in the middle of addressing the serpent (v. 14) and he remarks a conflict between the serpent and the woman. The serpent has a conflict with mankind, but it is most clearly seen toward the woman. I think this is evident as we see the power men often have over women and the damage of things like pornography which has convinced the woman the value she has is not who she is but what she looks like. And the difficult she has to work with the man instead of being independent of the man is a chore. We in society, we as men have not done a good job in this either.

But the point of this message is that the seed of the serpent or wicked man will be bruised by the seed of the woman. Thus, the seed of the woman is to be the Christ child. God will bruise the head of Satan through Jesus. God will provide grace to man through the work of His Son on the Cross. He pronounces to Satan the work that He will do.

Promise: The Lord graciously intervened to give His people the will to resist Satan and God pledged to send the Savior to do all the work needed to save us.

Prayer: Thank you God for the salvation that you have given to me this day. I pray that You would strengthen me against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with April being about salvation by grace alone and how the Lord never fails to save the one whom He has purposed to save.

Mark 2:27 - The Purpose of the Sabbath

Mark 2:27
Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
Meaning: The Purpose of the Sabbath

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

As I have said, Jesus is teaching here in these verses, and telling his people, his followers, even us today lessons. It is interesting what he is teaching and what Mark is communicating. Thus far, the theme I have seen is that Jesus is letting us know that His message is new, different, unconventional and he is expressing overall our need to turn to Him and embrace Him and trust what he is saying. Along the way, it is the Pharisees or those that are known to be religious that are asking the questions. Yesterday, the issue was harvesting for grain on the Sabbath or doing any work on the Sabbath and once again the point is not that it's not good to take a rest, but if there is a need, breaking a code of conduct will not separate man from God. We are not asked to follow a set of rules, but we are called to follow Christ.

Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." In Jesus' day, in our day, we tend to look at the religious men, the pastors and teachers and hold them high on a pedestal as the pious men of our day. In Jesus' day and today, the orthodox Jewish people not only say that no work can be done on the Sabbath (recently, I've noticed 7th day Adventists also follow a similar code), but they make a very complete list of what constitutes work - from turning on the air conditioner to driving a car to preparing a meal. For the pharisees tying or untying knots or writing more than one letter of the alphabet were defined as labor that would break the Sabbath commandment.

I admit that often I am a hot or cold person that sometimes lives in extremes. I over-analyze application sometimes and in so doing miss the principle and get too focused on the practice or what should not be practiced. I've always struggled with concepts and understanding them and instead side on actionable items. And this was the problem often with religious zealots in that they over-looked the principle and became more obsessed with what constitutes labor or work on the Sabbath. They lived in fear of perhaps doing something wrong. Like yesterday, obviously a person should not spend their entire Sabbath continuing to harvest the field, but if they had a need for nourishment, was their a problem with picking a little grain. The concept was yes, we need to rest from our labor and trust God, but that doesn't mean necessarily that we can't do anything that constitutes work.

Thus, this could be what Jesus meant when he said The Sabbath was meant for man. God gave us the Sabbath so that we could rest. Rest is easy to understand today because we have so many opportunities to rest and we can rest very easily. In fact, we often rest every evening and then for bulks of time on the weekend. But, in Jesus' day rest was not possible for to survive you had to be always working. But God knew the importance of rest and so he instituted a day for it. The principle was that we need to remember to take it easy. As a person, I don't often take off a full day only because resting happens throughout each day often. Thus, it is not the purpose of the Sabbath to then make a list of what constitutes work and what doesn't. To me, that falls into legalism.

Promise: I am to love the Law of God. But, if it becomes fear or their is concern too much in its breaking, then I miss the point. The reality is obedience to the law is never completely possible. So failure will occur so I need to be more focused on what God is teaching me through the commandments versus getting obsessed with obedience to every detail of it that I conjure up.

Prayer: Lord, thank your for this lesson. I admit being a person that gets bogged down in the details, out of fear that perhaps what I'm doing is breaking the law. Help me to realize why you gave us rules and that I will never be completely obedient to those rules so why do I work so hard to make sure I am. You know me better than I know myself. Teach me to trust you. And help me as a Father, as I relate to my children and teach them that I help them see the principle and don't get too caught up in details.

Proverbs 7:21-27 - The Gatekeeper of Death

Proverbs 7:21-27
With her many persuasions she entices him; with her flattering lips she seduces him.
Suddenly he follows her as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as fetters to the discipline of a fool,
Until an arrow pierces through his liver; as a bird hastens to the snare, so he does not know that it his life.

Now therefore, sons, listen to me, and pay attention to the words of my mouth.
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths.
For many are the victims she has cast down, and numerous are all her slain.
Her house is the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.

Message:  The Gatekeeper of Death

Time: King Solomon is the principal writer of Proverbs. Solomon's proverbs were penned around 900 B.C. In the Book of Proverbs, Solomon reveals the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations, too. It appears that no topic escaped King Solomon's attention. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Background
For me, the crux of the first 20 verses of Proverbs 7 is the pleading from a father to his son to treasure the commandments that he is passing along. Treasure the words of the sage, of the Father God. Stay close to them. Adhere to  them in your life, for only then will you be able to withstand the temptations that will be present in this life. And temptations will be many. But, the sexual temptations, or the carrying away of ourselves to abandon our principles will be the strongest. We can't even give them a moment. The door opens when we allow ourselves to be in a dangerous environment. For the young boy, it is walking down the road of the adulteress, where she lives. There are other ways to get to our destination, so we should not even go there. 

The Problem
These remaining verses catapult the encounter and we get to witness first hand what is in store for the person that gets pulled away. I must admit, as a man, these verses resonate with me because I am pulled away too easily, it would seem. The clothing manufacturers have continued to make clothing that simply show off too much of a woman. I struggle with my eyes and it is a struggle when people are bending over in front of you or wearing short dresses. I'm captivated by my wife, but would prefer it in the privacy of my own home. It's really a horrible thing for the man to live with for it is everywhere. And the phone makes it worse. It is too easily accessible. Thus, the title of this message: the gatekeeper of death.

Studying this passage
Verse 21 begins "with her many persuasions." Again, these to me are not just verbal, but they are visual persuasions. They could be a glance, an alluring look, but most likely they are the way a person carries oneself. 'Many persuasions' also speaks to the many different ways we are confronted with this. The temptation now shows itself in so many different ways. But also in these verses is the inference that the person is reluctant because "she entices" and "she seduces." Thus, even in these verses, one could apply I Corinthians 10:13 in that there is a way out when the temptation presents itself.

And then the striking words of verse 22 "suddenly he follows her as an ox goes to slaughter." The road to death is set. The man is walking it. He is captivated, and yet, his life will never be the same. The visual expression of an ox going to slaughter is such an assault; it is such a picture of what the sin does to us. It because a drug that overtakes all of our senses. The ox is obviously not realizing his destination. The ox is being led somewhere that it is thought will only yield good outcomes. The "slaughter" represents the end, not the journey. But "he does not know it is his life." He is consumed with the moment, not the end. The consequences or results of this act are not overtaken by the momentary high.

And so the chapter ends the way it begins. There are words from the wise one to the son, "Listen to me" and "pay attention." Here is the reason: "Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways" and "do not stray into her paths." In these words is the idea I think of 1 Corinthians 10:13 and it is "don't go there." Don't put yourself in a position that is hard to come back from. Once the ox is on the way to the slaughter, it is too late. I must think about this in my life. For instance, I just realized that when I am down on life, or angry, then it is not good to have my phone with me and so, like going to bed - don't bring it to bed. Leave it in the other room. 

At the end of this passage is more ammunition. It is the father building the case. He hopes that the son would simply listen to his words. He would hope that this is compelling enough. But, he also then shows the son the results of the sinful lifestyle. This paints the picture of any addiction in our lives.

For many are the victims she has cast down, 
and numerous are all her slain.
Her house is the way to Sheol, 
descending to the chambers of death.

The language is final. They are victims. They are numerous. This is a problem many have. They are slain - again death. Her house is on the trek to death. Her house is lower than any person really wants to go. It should be clear, but instead deception has taken over. 

Promise: The foolish young man who heeds the call of the adulteress will find nothing but destruction in her arms.

Prayer: Oh Lord, I need help in this. I am not strong. I am too easily lured away. Once the sin starts, it just continues to be a problem. I'm embarrassed as to what this sin has done to me over the years. To think that I can be so easily enticed. Lord, place a hedge around me. I need your protection. Give me strength. Give me rest today. Lord, I want to be free. I hate the feeling of being a slave to it. I want to follow you. Help me Lord. 

Psalm 119:129-136 - When Others Don't Keep God's Law

Psalm 119:129-136

¹²⁹ Your testimonies are wonderful;
    therefore my soul keeps them.
¹³⁰ The unfolding of your words gives light;
    it imparts understanding to the simple.
¹³¹ I open my mouth and pant,
    because I long for your commandments.
¹³² Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    as is your way with those who love your name.
¹³³ Keep steady my steps according to your promise,
    and let no iniquity get dominion over me.
¹³⁴ Redeem me from man's oppression,
    that I may keep your precepts.
¹³⁵ Make your face shine upon your servant,
    and teach me your statutes.
¹³⁶ My eyes shed streams of tears,
    because people do not keep your law.

Message: When Others Don't Keep God's Law

Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying: Your testimonies are wonderful;Full of wonderful revelations, commands and promises. Wonderful in their nature, as being free from all error, and bearing within themselves overwhelming self-evidence of their truth; wonderful in their effects as instructing, elevating, strengthening, and comforting the soul. Jesus the eternal Word is called Wonderful, and all the uttered words of God are wonderful in their degree. Those who know them best wonder at them most. It is wonderful that God should have borne testimony at all to sinful men, and more wonderful still that his testimony should be of such a character, so clear, so full, so gracious, so mighty. therefore my soul keeps them. - Their wonderful character so impressed itself upon his mind that he kept them in his memory, their wonderful excellence so charmed his heart that he kept them in his life. Some men wonder at the words of God, and use them for their speculation; but David was always practical, and the more he wondered the more he obeyed. Note that his religion was soul work; not with head and hand alone did he keep the testimonies; but his soul, his truest and most real self, held fast to them.

The unfolding of your words gives light;No sooner do they gain admission into the soul than they enlighten it, what light may be expected from their prolonged indwelling! Their very entrance floods the mind with instruction, for they are so full, so clear; but, on the other hand, there must be such an "entrance," or there will be no illumination, The mere hearing of the word with the external ear is of small value by itself, but when the words of God enter into the chambers of the heart then light is scattered on all sides. The word finds no entrance into some minds because they are blocked up with self-conceit, or prejudice, or indifference; but where due attention is given, divine illumination must surely follow upon knowledge of the mind of God. Oh, that thy words, like the beams of the sun, may enter through the window of my understanding, and dispel the darkness of my mind! it imparts understanding to the simple. The sincere and candid are the true disciples of the word. To such it gives not only knowledge, but understanding. These simple-hearted ones are frequently despised, and their simplicity has another meaning infused into it, so as to be made the theme of ridicule; but what matters it? Those whom the world dubs as fools are among the truly wise if they are taught of God. What a divine power rests in the word of God, since it not only bestows light, but gives that very mental eye by which the light is received - '"It gives understanding." Hence the value of the words of God to the simple, who cannot receive mysterious truth unless their minds are aided to see it and prepared to grasp it.

I open my mouth and pant,So animated was his desire that he looked into the animal world to find a picture of it. He was filled with an intense longing, and was not ashamed to describe it by a most expressive, natural, and yet singular symbol. Like a stag that has been hunted in the chase, and is hard pressed, and therefore pants for breath, so did the Psalmist pant for the entrance of God's word into his soul. Nothing else could content him. All that the world could yield him left him still panting with open mouth. because I long for your commandments. Longed to know them, longed to obey them, longed to be conformed to their spirit, longed to teach them to others. He was a servant of God, and his industrious mind longed to receive orders; he was a learner in the school of grace, and his eager spirit longed to be taught of the Lord.

Turn (look) to me A godly man cannot long be without prayer. During the previous verses he had been expressing his love to God's word, but here he is upon his knees again. This prayer is specially short, but exceedingly sententious, "Look thou upon me." While he stood with open mouth panting for the commandments, he besought the Lord to look upon or turn to him, and let his condition and his unexpressed longings plead for him. He desires to be known of God, and daily observed by him. He wishes also to be favored with the divine smile which is included in that word - '"turn." If a look from us to God has Saving efficacy in it, what may we not expect from a look from God to us. and be gracious (merciful) to me - Christ's look at Peter was a look of mercy, and all the looks of the heavenly Father are of the same kind. If he looked in stern justice his eyes would not endure us, but looking in mercy he spares and blesses us. If God looks and sees us panting, he will not fail to be merciful to us. as is your way with those who love your name. Look on me as thou looks on those who love thee; be merciful to me as thou art accustomed to be towards those who truly serve thee. There is a use and wont which God observes towards them that love him, and David craved that he might experience it. He would not have the Lord deal better or worse with him than he was accustomed to deal with his saints - worse would not save him, better could not be. In effect he prays, "I am thy servant; treat me as thou treats thy servants. I am thy child; deal with me as with a son."

Keep steady my steps according to your promise, This is one of the Lord's customary mercies to his chosen, - '"He keeps the feet of his saints." By his grace he enables us to put our feet step by step in the very place which his word ordains. This prayer seeks a very choice favor, namely, that every distinct act, every step, might be arranged and governed by the will of God. This does not stop short of perfect holiness, neither will the believer's desires be satisfied with anything beneath that blessed consummation. and let no iniquity get dominion over me. This is the negative side of the blessing. We ask to do all that is right, and to fall under the power of nothing that is wrong. God is our sovereign, and we would have every thought in subjection to his sway. Believers have no choice, darling sins to which they would be willing to bow. They pant for perfect liberty from the power of evil, and being conscious that they cannot obtain it of themselves, they cry unto God for it.

Redeem me from man's oppression, David had tasted all the bitterness of this great evil. It had made him an exile from his country, and banished him from the sanctuary of the Lord: therefore he pleads to be saved from it. It is said that oppression makes a wise man mad, and no doubt it has made many a righteous man sinful. oppression is in itself wicked, and it drives men to wickedness. We little know how much of our virtue is due to our liberty; if we had been in bonds under haughty tyrants we might have yielded to them, and instead of being confessors we might now have been apostates. He who taught us to pray, "Lead us not into temptation," will sanction this prayer, which is of much the same tenor, since to be oppressed is to be tempted. that I may keep your precepts. When the stress of oppression was taken off he would go his own way, and that way would be the way of the Lord. Although we ought not to yield to the threatening of men, yet many do so; the wife is sometimes compelled by the oppression of her husband to act against her conscience - children and servants, and even whole nations have been brought into the same difficulty. Their sins will be largely laid at the oppressor's door, and it usually pleases God ere long to overthrow those powers and dominions which compel men to do evil. The worst of it is that some persons, when the pressure is taken off from them, follow after unrighteousness of their own accord. These give evidence of being sinners in grain. As for the righteous, it happens to them as it did to the apostles of old, "Being let go, they went to their own company." When saints are freed from the tyrant they joyfully pay homage to their king.

Make your face shine upon your servant, Oppressors frown, but do thou smile. They darken my life, but do thou shine upon me, and all will be bright. The Psalmist again declares that he is God's servant, and he seeks for no favor from others, but only from his own Lord and Master. and teach me your statutes This is the favor which he considers to be the shining of the face of God upon him. If the Lord will be exceeding gracious, and make him his favorite, he will ask no higher blessing than still to be taught the royal statutes. See how he craves after holiness; this is the choicest of all gems in his esteem. As we say among men that a good education is a great fortune, so to be taught of the Lord is a gift of special grace. The most favored believer needs teaching; even when he walks in the light of God's countenance he has still to be taught the divine statutes or he will transgress.

My eyes shed streams of tears,because people do not keep your law. He wept in sympathy with God to see the holy law despised and broken. He wept in pity for men who were thus drawing down upon themselves the fiery wrath of God. His grief was such that he could scarcely give it vent; his tears were not mere drops of sorrow, but torrents of woe. In this he became like the Lord Jesus who beheld the city, and wept over it; and like unto Jehovah himself, who hath no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, but that he turn unto him and live. The experience of this verse indicates a great advance upon anything we have had before: the Psalm and the Psalmist are both growing. That man is a ripe believer who sorrows because of the sins of others. In Psalm 119:120 his flesh trembled at the presence of God, and here it seems to melt and flow away in floods of tears. None are so affected by heavenly things as those who are much in the study of the word, and are thereby taught the truth and essence of things, Carnal men are afraid of brute force, and weep over losses and crosses; but spiritual men feel a holy fear of the Lord himself, and most of all lament when they see dishonor cast upon his holy name.

Promise: We believe that God's testimonies are wonderful and we likewise mourn when we see people around us following their own ways and not the will of the Lord.

Psalm 119:65-72 - The Word of God and Affliction

Psalm 119:65-72
You have dealt well with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. You are good and do good; teach me Your statutes. The arrogant have forged a lie against me; with all my heart I will observe Your precepts. Their heart is covered with fat, but I delight in Your law. It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

Message: The Word of God and Affliction

Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

In my reading of Psalm 119 thus far, I have looked at:

• The Blessedness of Keeping God's Law (v. 1-8)
• God's Word in the Heart (v. 9-16)
• A Longing for God's Word (v. 17-24)
• The Power and Desire to Obey (v. 25-32)
• A Heart Inclined to God's Law (v. 33-40)
• Saved to Testify (41-48)
• The Word of God in times of trouble (v. 49-56)
• Not Forgetting God's Law (v. 57-64) 

In just reviewing those passages, it is interesting the emphasis thus far by the author of this Psalm. I guess it is interesting in light of today's passage. The writer has been pressing forward that God's Law and it's keeping, its place in our heart, our desire for it, our longing, our desire to follow it and obey, being inclined to it, testify of it, it is there for us in times of trouble and we do not forget it. It is what we need. And today we see that God's word in his heart has not always been this way.

I just think about the author and what he penned. He is thrilled with God's Word and has seen there is nothing like it. It is everything to him, but he also wants to convey that life has not always been this way for him. He is real; he is human; he has made mistakes - "I was afflicted and I went astray." Sometimes pain sends us away from God. I need to always have empathy for others and the way they are reacting to god in the midst of trials. Our responses are not always wonderful and faith and trust based. Sometimes those responses are turning from God. But, what a great testimony that this person who just spent 64 verses speaking of the greatness of God's word was at another time at a low point.

He sees that afflictions were for our best. It is what we needed in our lives. He recognizes this now; he didn't recognize this before. Being afflicted gave him the instruction he needed to learn the statutes and laws of God.

Promise: Sometimes we do not understand the sweetness of the Law of the Lord. God disciplines whom He loves, and if we endure affliction at His loving hand, we are conformed more and more to the image of Christ.

Romans 11:30-32 - Mercy on All

Romans 11:30-32 - ³⁰ For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, ³¹ so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. ³² For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

Message: Disobedience and Mercy

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying:

The Common Thread of Disobedience - verse 30
I need to understand today that I was in a state of disobedience and so I should never look at someone in that state and think highly of myself. What it should do is move me to want to share with them, not make myself out to be better than them.But here, the language is specific to the Jewish people. If anyone deserves the most compassion in their state of disobedience, it is the Jewish people.

Mercy Came Running - verse 31
I have received mercy. The Gentile has received mercy. Mercy will come again to the Jew. I remember that song from Philips, Craig and Dean, "Mercy Came Running."

Once there was a holy place
Evidence of God's embrace
And I can almost see mercy's face
Pressed against the veil

Looking down with longing eyes
Mercy must have realized
That once His blood was sacrificed
Freedom would prevail

And as the sky grew dark
And the earth began to shake
With justice no longer in the way

Mercy came running
Like a prisoner set free
Past all my failures
To the point of my need
When the sin that I carried
Was all I could see
And when I could not reach mercy
Mercy came running to me

Disobedience and Mercy at the hands of God - verse 32
The ideas of disobedience and mercy come together in verse 32 and Paul really makes a conclusion that God shuts all up in disobedience and shows mercy for all. God is the one in charge. 

Promise: From Table Talk August 28, 2014, "The Lord shows mercy to all kinds of people, so we must never think that someone is beyond the reach of God's grace."

Romans 10:19-21 - Israel's Jealousy

Romans 10:19-21 - 19 But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation, By a nation without understanding will I anger you.” 20 And Isaiah is very bold and says, “I was found by those who did not seek Me,

I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” 21 But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.”

Message: Israel didn't accept God's way of salvation and God grafts in another nation, the Gentiles

Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.

What the Lord is Saying: 

Background
To me, the significance of this chapter has been that in Paul communicating that people, despite appearing religious and having a zeal for God, often are not following the Lord in the way He has intended. People busy themselves with law keeping, focusing on the following the commands of God rather than surrendering to the Lord and relying on God for His provision of salvation in His Son. And it seems to be such a danger because in life we are often continually trained in the notion that doing your best or being good enough will result in favor. Right now, it is Christmas time and the message of Santa Claus is just that. Have you been good this year? Only good boys and girls receive favor from Santa Claus.

This is rather frightening. I think it calls to attention how much we are persuaded by the World and its messages. And we tend to be digressing more and more in that direction as naturalism and the worlds ways and thinking more and more takes center stage in all walks of life.

Christ ended the law of practicing righteousness. 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." 

Paul contrasts this message in verses 5-8. I find it somewhat difficult to communicate that contrast in today's world climate because that message is everywhere. Then, the message of living a principled life by the Christian seems to be absent from many lives because they think they have their "Get out of Hell free" card and so their life of living by faith is often not lived. 

This is the importance of verses 9-15. Christians must carry the Light. 

Though Paul does communicate that people need to preach the message of Christ. People need to be ambassadors of Truth. Yet, he also wants to make it clear that the revelation of Christ or the revelation of faith has not been absent from the Lord. 

Grafting another people in
Deuteronomy 32:21 says, "‘They have made Me jealous with what is not God; They have provoked Me to anger with their idols. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation." 

According to Tabletalk on August 13, 2014, "The verse in Deuteronomy is part of a song that Moses sang when the nation of Israel was about to enter the Promised Land. This song recounts God's relationship with Israel up to that point, and it also looks forward to the future. Since Israel had provoked and would continue to provoke the Lord to jealousy by serving other gods, God would provoke the Israelites to jealousy by adopting another people who were not a nation--who were not separated unto Him like the Israelites."

Thus the words in verse 19, "But I say, surely Israel did not know, did they?" Israel was given the first and greatest opportunity and yet rejected God because they did not want to worship Him according to His ways. They actually worshiped other gods in order to make God jealous. They picked up idols. And Moses predicts that another people, a foolish nation, will be grafted in; the Gentiles.

Be bold
Verse 20, "Isaiah is very bold." Proverbs 28:1, "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion." It is said that those who have the Spirit are bold. Isaiah was bold in his declaration. It is clear that the God follower is to be bold. 

Open hands

Isaiah 65:1-2, "I permitted Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, ‘Here am I, here am I,’ To a nation which did not call on My name. ² “I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts."

Verse 2 of Isaiah 65 says that the Lord holds out his hands. We either clinch or grab or we hold open and welcome. We are clinching people often, eager to hold onto more and more. I saw this pictured in the Hallmark movie, "Have a little faith" by the Rabbi portrayed by Michael Landau. He said we come into the world with clinched hands, grabbing, and we should leave with open hands. It is hard for the Lord to hold out his hands to a nay-saying world and a disobedient world. God is patient.

The Gentile on his own does not seek for God. Romans 3:11 says, "There is no one who seeks for God." 

A people that reject God
Isn't this interesting that Isaiah declares in prophetic way that the nation of Israel would reject the Messiah, Christ Jesus. He looks at Isaiah 65 and verse 2. 

God does not necessarily bestow his favor and grace upon those that are faithful to him. 

Deuteronomy 9:6-7, "⁶ “Know, then, it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people. ⁷ Remember, do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord." Instead it says that God must deal with wickedness. His favor on people is because he must deal with the wickedness of others. 

Promise: God graciously reveals Himself.  

Romans 6:16-19 - Slaves to Righteousness

Romans 6:16-19 - 16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification.

Message: It should be that we can't help it, as a follower of Christ, to be a slave of righteousness and in turn reach sanctification.

Time: Paul wrote Romans from Corinth as he prepared to leave for Palestine. Phoebe (16:1,2) was given the great responsibility of delivering the letter to the Romans believers. At this time, Rome had a population of 1 million, many of whom were slaves. The Romans church was doctrinally sound, but it still needed rich doctrine and practical application. Rome had massive buildings but also slums.

What the Lord is Saying:

Background
From 6, verse 15-23, is the Believer's Death to Sin in Practice. Yesterday, the question was asked, now that a person is under law, can they ever sin, even if it is just once or twice. Earlier in chapter 6, it was clearly stated that sin is dead from the perspective of God through Christ and I am made alive in Christ. And so the person in Christ needs to realize that we are complete in Christ and our biggest obstacle in life is when we live outside of this condition.

No matter whom you serve, you are a slave
Whether we serve sin or serve obedience, we are a slave (verse 16). I can be a slave of sin or of obedience. At times, in my life, specifically when I was growing up, I struggled with those people that were, so-called goody too shoes. Maybe what I disliked is the confidence they had in doing things well, like school work. They seemed to take great pride in its accomplishment and were good at it. And I struggled because I was not good at it. So, I found myself poking fun at their studious behavior. I remember one summer when the quest was to read books. I had read like 3 books that summer and felt very accomplished only to found out the boy across the street had read an unbelievable amount. I thought it was somewhere in the 70's or even 100. My jaw dropped and I just assumed it was a ruse. Yet, he was good at being a slave of education and learning. 

Thanks to God, we are slaves of obedience
Something interesting has happened as I make a commitment to follow Christ. I become a slave of righteousness. The questions that are asked in this chapter, verse 1 and verse 15, are in essence completely contrary to what a Christian or Christ follower or regenerate sinner would ask. Why? Because in Christ (verse 17 and 18)we have been freed from sin and have become slaves of righteousness.

This is something I struggle with at times. I see Christians or proclaimed Christians in my life that don't seem to have a complete life change. There are changes in principle but not always in practice. They still retain their old life in some shape or form. Perhaps it is a foul mouth. Or perhaps there is no desire for corporate worship or church. Perhaps there is a thirst for alcohol (which in our country equates to a lifestyle contrary to the cross). Or there is little thirst for Bible reading, but more interest in just self-improvement. Yet, here in these verses, it is clear. I have been freed from sin. I became a slave to righteousness. This doesn't mean I always am righteous but I am in turmoil when I'm not living in a righteous manner. I think this is the Christian. The follower or true worshiper really has a tension with sin. And not just because it reaps poor dividends in life. The true worshiper doesn't want to displease God any longer.

There is a goal: sanctification
Verse 19 reminds us that these aren't just things we do, righteous living or sin living. But, they are resulting in a transformed life. If we are a slave to the flesh, then impurity and lawlessness will result. The purpose of the Christian is to follow Christ all the days of his or her life and thus move towards Christ likeness. This is who we are in Christ.

Promise: By being in Christ, God frees us from sin and we become slaves of righteousness.

Romans 5:18-19 - Constituting us Righteous

Romans 5:18-19 - 18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.

Message: Through on e man, sin came. Through One man, sin was paid.

Time: The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans from the Greek city of Corinth in AD 57, just three years after the 16 year old Nero had ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome. Persecution of Christians wouldn't begin until AD 64. The church was experiencing times of relative peace. From where he wrote, Corinth, was a hotbed of sexual immorality and idol worship.

What the Lord is Saying:

As I'm reading in various sources, it states that these verses in Romans 5:12-21 are difficult passages as well as controversial passages. I'm seeing a common theme in these verses as is very consistent with Paul's writing throughout this book. I'm seeing him repeat ideas and further expand on them. The focus in these verses has been that the sin of Adam resulted in all people being sinners. But, conversely, Jesus died on the cross one time and so when we receive Jesus into our life by believing that He died and rose from the dead, then the sin he died for on the cross, our sin, is no longer on us, but has been transferred to Christ and Christ credits to us His righteousness. Through one man, sin came in. Through one man, sin was paid for.

Adam being a type of Christ (verse 14) is an apt statement. Chris and Adam are connected. You can't have one without the other.

A terminology that is used to describe our relationship with Adam and Christ is "federal head." Federal headship is the position that the male represents to his descendants. Adam is our federal head. He sinned resulting in us all being called sinners before we were even capable of sinning. Thus, our natural self or natural seed is here because of Adam. Christ is our federal head as well. He died for sin so that we may be capable of inheriting life again. Our spiritual life or spiritual seed is available because of Christ. The difference though, in the seeds, is Adam sin's resulted in all people's sin, but the seed of Jesus must be received. God isn't simply giving the free gift of grace to all people.

I think this can be difficult for people to wrap their brains around. This is clearly what the scripture says, but we are in an age now, more and more, when just because the scripture states it doesn't mean we are accepting of it. We are more and more a questioning people. And so, we are now, more so than ever questioning these words. The questions make sense in that if we have sin because of no fault of our own, but because of Adam's sin, then if the reality is that we can be restored life not because of anything we have done, but because of Christ's life, then why doesn't this just simply fall upon all men. The answer obviously lies in the fact that in both instances, Adam and Christ, man has free will. Man is not a robot. Man has the ability to choose and make his own decision. This is what God created. And this does make sense.

From Tabletalk, April 14, 2014: We can add to Adam's disobedience and incur more legal guilt before the Lord, but we cannot add to Christ's righteousness and incur more legal righteousness. 

Promise:
One transgression = condemnation to all
One act of righteousness = Justification to all
One man's disobedience = many made sinners
Obedience of One = many made righteous

Romans 2:25 - The Value of Circumcision

Romans 2:25 - For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

Message: The value of circumcision or how the inner much match the outward.

Time: Romans was probably written during Paul’s third missionary journey from Corinth to a Jewish/Gentile church in Rome (around 56-57 AD).

What the Lord is Saying:

At its most basic level, we can substitute the word "circumcision" for any sacrament in the church. Circumcision was the identifying mark of being a Jew. Often for the Christian, it seems the identifying mark is someone that goes to church or prays or reads their Bible or tries to practice what they preach. It could even be baptism or receiving Jesus into your heart.

That said, the point of this text is a message to the Jewish people. Since verse 13 the message has been the Jew that believes hearing the Law or being associated with the Law or being taught by it or informing others of it, give people a special pass or exemption before God and His acceptance of them. Paul is over and over eradicating this notion and letting the Jew know that if their desire is to focus on the Law above all then they must in their life obey the Law above all. Obedience can't simply be a partial thing or a part time thing, but it must be complete.

And here with circumcision is something the Jews felt like every Jew must have, despite the kind of Jew that they are. Circumcision resulted in justification.

Paul takes the two things that for every Jew they felt like if they have they were accepted by God: the Law and Circumcision. 

But Paul shows that circumcision must be coupled with complete practice of the Law and if that doesn't occur then it nullifies the circumcision from ever having occurred. If our quest is legalism then it must be total obedience and anything else completely nullifies in righteous deed that may have been performed.

Paul is stating that once we sin we are sinners then no amount of goodness in us can nullify this fact. More clearly, he is seeing that the outward has no meaning if their has been no inward change. How quickly do I want to put on a good show often in my faith and have people be impressed with my outward piety, when inward I may be living a different life. If we have no inward change then our outward changes don't mean anything. 

Some of the hardest people to reach with the Gospel are those that think they already have the answers. Religious people already are prodigy's of religion. They already possess the acumen of their faith. Whether they be Catholic, Mormon's, Jehovah Witnesses, Islam, Hindu, or even Protestants, they have tenure in their religion and they think through their deeds and beliefs they are safe.

For the Jew, circumcision was the golden ticket. For Catholics, it is baptism. For Christians, it is a sinner's prayer. For the Mormon's and JW's, it is belonging to a church. All faiths think that if I just get this one thing, then I am safe.  

Promise: None of us is saved unless personal trust in Christ resides in our hearts.

Romans 2:21b-23 - The Jews Failure to Keep the Law

Romans 2:21b-23 21b You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?

Message: The Jews Failure to Keep the Law

Time:  Romans was probably written during Paul’s third missionary journey from Corinth to a Jewish/Gentile church in Rome (around 56-57 AD).

What the Lord is Saying:

The Jews were exposed in verse 17-20 for looking and sounding religious, but lacking an authentic faith. 3 Commandments are listed here: (1) Being a thief; (2) Being an adulterer; (3) Being an idolater. And then a summary statement of verse 23 in which the Jews overall stated that they boast in the greatness of the Law and yet break it.

In college we used a phrase often, "Walk = Talk." Paul's complaint toward the Jew is their creed contradicts their conduct. I need to continually ask myself, "Is my Christianity authentic? Does it pass the test?"

In verse 21b, the Greek word for steal is klepto. It is where we get the word kleptomaniac. Paul here uses three sins as examples of the Law that the Jews broke. He didn't just pull these sins out of his hat, but they were sins that the Jewish people had experience committing. Yet, this really isn't a shock because these are commandments that everyone breaks in thought and/or deed.

Interesting the phrase, "You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?" Why the second part? What does robbing temples have to do with abhorring idols? I think an idol is anything in our life that we place at a higher level than God. The Jews stated they hated idols, and yet, in practice did they tithe correctly, thus robbing God. Do I give God everything or what I can afford?

Can anyone keep the commandments? No. But, the Jews stated that trusting in Christ was not necessary and so therefore, they must keep the commandments completely to earn God's acceptance. This is the problem. If a person does not trust in the finished work of Christ and what He did on the cross. Justification by law-keeping is possible only if one never fails in obedience to the Lord. 

Promise: For those that reject Christ, their standard is complete adherence to the Law of Moses (or the law given them through their conscience).