December 29, 2017

Exodus 4:1-5

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

The LORD had just appeared to Moses in the burning bush in the Sinai desert.  God was commissioning him to go and lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land of Canaan.  But Moses had his doubts, and argued with God about his calling!  Let’s pick up the story in Exodus 4:1 through 5 (International Standard Version):

      Then Moses answered, “Look, they won’t believe me and they won’t
      listen to me.  Instead, they’ll say, ‘The LORD didn’t appear to you.’”
      “What’s that in your hand?” the LORD asked him.  Moses answered,
      “A staff.”  Then God said, “Throw it on the ground.”  He threw it on
      the ground and it became a snake.  Moses ran away from it.  Then
      God told Moses, “Reach out and grab its tail.”  So he reached out,
      grabbed it, and it became a staff in his hand.  God said, “I’ve done
      this so that they may believe that the LORD…has appeared to you.”

God often uses Foolish Things In Hand!  In this case it was a shepherd’s staff – just a long piece of wood with a sharp hook on one end.  Most depictions of a shepherd’s staff have a rather large rounded ‘crook’ at the top.  But the photo accompanying this blog is the closest I could come to the real thing.  The sharp hooked end could be poked into a sheep’s wool and, with a twist, the shepherd could then pull the sheep or lamb out of danger.

But back to Moses:  The staff he carried wasn’t anything that special until he obeyed God by throwing it to the ground and picking up the resulting snake by the tail!  From then on, it was the LORD’s staff!  Think of how it was used after that:

•      Concerning the plagues God sent upon Egypt:

       ✡      Exodus 7:20 – “…Moses and Aaron…lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the [Nile] river….And all the waters…were turned to blood.”

       ✡      Exodus 8:5 and 6 – “…Aaron stretched out his hand…with…[the] rod…over the waters of Egypt, and…frogs came up on the land….”

       ✡      Exodus 8:17 – “…Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod and struck the dust of the earth, and it became lice on man and beast.”

       ✡      Exodus 9:23 – “…Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire…on the land of Egypt….”

•      Crossing the Red Sea:

       ✡      Exodus 14:21 and 22 – “…Moses stretched out his hand [holding the rod] over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided.  So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”

       ✡      Exodus 14:27 – “And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and…the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it.  So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.”

•      Later in the wilderness journeys:

       ✡      Exodus 17:5 and 6 – “…the LORD said to Moses, ‘…take in your hand your rod….I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.’  And Moses did so….”

       ✡      Exodus 17:8, 9, 11, and 13 – “Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim….when Moses held up his hand…with the rod of God…Israel prevailed….So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people….”

       ✡      Numbers 17:1, 2, 5, and 8 (concerning God’s choice of leadership) – “And the LORD spoke to Moses…,‘…get from the children of Israel…a rod from each father’s house…twelve rods.  Write each man’s name on his rod….And it shall be that the rod of the man I choose will blossom….’  …on the next day…the rod of Aaron…had sprouted…buds…blossoms, and…ripe almonds.”

       ✡      Numbers 20:9 and 11 – “…Moses took the rod…as…the LORD…commanded him….Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly….”  This was the incident where Moses disobeyed God’s order to “Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water….” (Numbers 20:8).  This disobedience caused Moses to lose the privilege of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land!  Yet God still supplied water for the people.

I took the time to highlight these ten incidences in which the rod of Moses and Aaron was used in miraculous ways!  It was a common shepherd’s rod until it was given to the LORD!  Then it became an instrument of power!

You may think that what you can offer God is rather insignificant and foolish.  But remember what is written in I Corinthians 1:27:  “…God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise….”  What are these foolish things He has chosen?  You and me!  And the common and ordinary talents we can offer Him!  Four years ago, at age 67, I offered God the use of the gifts He has given me – teaching and writing!  It is not that I will ever be a great teacher or writer, but it is what I have to offer!

•      And so was born this website, Gems For Living.

•      And so there have been about 150,000 visitors to this website.

•      And so, as one man wrote me, “You saved my life!”  No, I did not!  God did!  He used my foolish gifts and touched this man’s life!  I simply offered Him the Foolish Things I had In Hand!

The new year is almost upon us.  What Foolish Things In Hand do you have that you might offer to the Lord?

•      Moses had a shepherd’s staff! God powerfully used it and him!

•      Gideon had clay pitchers and torches! (See Judges 7:16-22). The LORD used these Foolish Things and won a great victory over the Midianites!

•      A boy had a lunch his mother had probably packed for him. He gave it to Jesus and 5,000 plus people were fed! (See John 6:5-13).

Just offer what you have In Hand! Let God do the rest!

December 27, 2017

Matthew 2:16

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

My dear wife and I have nine grandchildren and three great grandchildren.  There are six boys 11 and under in one family!  Can you imagine Christmas morning in that household?  What a mess after all the presents are distributed and the wrappings are ripped off and boxes and packaging torn open.  Talk about Making A Mess Of Things!  But in the Bible – in the account of the first Christmas – there was another who was Making A Mess Of Things!  Here is the account of what happened from Matthew 2:16:

      Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was ex-
      ceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children
      who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and un-
      der, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Herod the Great achieved some greatness in human history.  He is best known as being king of Judea at the time of Christ’s birth.  He was perhaps the greatest builder of his time!  He remodeled (built) the temple at Jerusalem to such an extent that it was considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world!  But Herod was an evil man!  Here are a few ‘lowlights’ of his 37 year reign:

•      Concerning his family:

             35 BC – Herod ordered his 18-year-old brother-in-law Aristobulus III drowned.

             29 BC – He had his favorite wife Mariamne charged with adultery and executed.  After that he put to death Mariamne’s mother, Alexandra for stating he was mentally ill and unfit to rule.

             28 BC – Another brother-in-law, Kostobar was accused of conspiracy and executed.

             7 BC – Herod’s sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, were accused of high treason and put to death.

             5 BC – Antipater, Herod’s firstborn, was found guilty of plotting his father’s murder and executed.

             The Romans Emperor Augstus once remarked, “It is better to be Herod’s pig than his son.”  At least it was safer!

•      Other infamous events in Herod’s reign:

             Miriamne was of Hasmonean descent.  The Hasmonean dynasty ruled Judea from the 166 BC revolt of the Maccabees until Herod’s ascension to power.  He married Mariamne to secure for himself Jewish acceptance as a legitimate king of the Jews.  The Hasmonean’s were considered by Herod as a great threat to his throne.  So he, over the years, eliminated many of them, creating great disfavor among the Jews and opposition to his rule.

             Herod had placed a huge golden eagle (a symbol of Rome) over the main gate of the temple, enraging pious Jews!  Upon the news that Herod was nearing death, a large contingent of Torah students tore the eagle down.  Forty of them were arrested and, along with two of their rabbinical teachers, were burned alive!

             Because the king was paranoid that no one would mourn his death, as that time was just days away, Herod ordered all the notable Jews throughout his jurisdiction to come to Jericho where he was on his deathbed.  The notables were then imprisoned in the Jericho hippodrome and soldiers were ordered to kill them all upon the king’s demise!  Even if not for him, there would be sadness and mourning throughout the country!  By God’s grace, Herod’s sister countermanded the order, and it did not happen!

So it is no surprise that Herod the Great murdered the innocents of Bethlehem!

•      This was at the end of the king’s life.  By that time he was deathly ill, demented, and paranoid – determined to hang on to his kingdom!  Just days before the “…wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’ ”  “A rival king!” Herod thought.  “We shall see about that! ”

       ✞      By killing all the male children in Bethlehem and its districts, the king thought he was cleaning up a mess!  However, he was more so Making A Mess Of Things!  How?

               ▸      It was a horrible Mess for the families of those children – ruthlessly slaughtered because of an insane and jealous old man!  Matthew quoted Jeremiah 31:15 when he wrote in Matthew 2:18:  “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they were no more.”

               ▸      How many infant and toddler boys were murdered?  Perhaps less than a dozen – which is why the incident was never recorded outside of the account in Matthew.  Such a small number of deaths would be a minor historical detail in the ruthless reign of Herod !

       ✞      But there is another way he was Making A Mess Of Things!  Herod was already headed for hell!  But since there are degrees of punishment in hell (see Luke 12:47, 48), he was just adding to his eternal suffering!  If you are not going to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, then be as good as you can!  You will have a bit less eternal suffering in Hell!

How do we apply all this to our lives today?

•      Most people would never commit murder!  Or would we?  For we are told in I John 3:15, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.”  And who among us has never had hateful thoughts toward another?  The works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19 through 21 lists both hatred and murders!  We are all of the flesh before we come to Christ! (See Romans 8:5-8).

•      We may try to “clean up our act” to become presentable to God.  But this is a system of works!  And we are told in Galatians 2:16, “…for by works…no flesh shall be justified.”  If Isaiah 64:6 (Easy-to-Read Version) is true – and it is! – we discover, “We are all dirty with sin. Even our good works are not pure.  They are like bloodstained rags.”  So if even our good works are not pure, what about our bad deeds!!!  The point is, the more we try to clean up any Mess in our life, the more we are Making A Mess Of Things before God!

•      There is only one way to get out of this Mess – trust Jesus Christ as Savior!  He totally paid for our Mess – our sins – and all we have to do is by faith accept His payment to cover our debt!  Come to the Son of God today!

December 25, 2017

Titus 2:11-14

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

Titus 2:11 through 14 is not usually thought to be a Christmas Scripture.  But it certainly speaks of the first Advent, the birth of Christ as well as His return, the second Advent:

      For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teach-
      ing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
      righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and
      the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave
      Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify
      for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

“…the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men….”  God’s grace, God’s salvation appeared in its fulness with Jesus being born being born in a manger!  Actually, it arrived nine months earlier when, “The Holy Spirit…[came]upon [Mary], and the power of the Highest…[overshadowed her]…” (Luke 1:38).

We began to look at what it means that God’s “…salvation has appeared to all men…” by analyzing the first two verses of our featured Scripture – discussing limited antonement verses unlimited atonement (I definitely come down on the side of unlimited atonement!), and the kind of life we should be living as a result of receiving God’s salvation.  Let’s continue with verses 13 and 14:

•      Titus 2:13 – “…looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ….”  This refers to Christ’s second Advent!

       ✞      Consider the Old Testament prophecies concerning the two advents of the Lord:

               ▸      One website – practicaprophetica.com/prophecies-of-christs-first-advent/ – lists 124 Old Testament prophecies concerning the first Advent of Christ!

               ▸      Another – accordingtothescriptures.org/prophecy/353prophecies. – tells us there are 353 prophesies in the first 39 books of the Bible about both Advents!  If that count is correct, there are 229 prophesies in the Old Testament that predict Jesus’ second Advent!

If God took care to record 353 prophesies in the Hebrew Scriptures dealing with the Advents of His Son, then “…the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ…” is certainly important!

       ✞      Concerning His second Advent:  The New Testament alludes to it over 300 times!  And since Jesus perfectly fulfilled the multitude of prophecies about His first Advent, there is no reason to doubt the New Testament prophecies of the second are not just as accurate!  As He Himself said in John 14:3, “…I will come again….”

       ✞    But why is the second Advent so important to us?  It is…

               ▸      …the end of this age, and the devil’s dominion of it! (See Luke 4:5, 6; Revelation 11:15).

               ▸      …the time when God will lift the curse from the earth and return it to its pre-fall condition! (See Genesis 2:8, 9; Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 8:19-21).

               ▸      …the beginning of the eternal reign of the Lord upon the earth (see Psalm 146:10; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Luke 1:33), of which we will be a part! (See Matthew 13:43; II Timothy 2:12; Revelation 20:6).

                              …and so much more! (See I Corinthians 2:9; Ephesians 3:20, 21).

•      Titus 2:14 – “…who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”  Here Paul states what are to be the results of Jesus’ first Advent!

       ✞      “…that He might redeem us from every lawless deed….”  We may not be serious law-breakers by society’s standards, but we surely have done lawless deeds from God’s viewpoint!  Which of His Ten Commandments have we broken?

               ▸      Considering Jesus’ interpretation of inner obedience as well as outward (see Matthew 5:27, 27 – also Colossians 3:5; I John 3:15), we have broken many of the Ten!

               ▸      Considering what James says in James 2:10:  “For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all…,” we have broken them all!

               ▸      We have been redeemed from a multitude of lawless deeds!

       ✞      “…and purify for Himself His own special people….”  This has to do with living a holy life!  Remember what is written in Hebrews 12:14:  “Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”  A holy life is an absolute necessity for the true Christian!

               ▸      Keep in mind what a holy life is not!  It is not as what some might define it:  “You don’t drink, smoke, cuss, chew, spit on the sidewalk, or go with girls that do! ” – and then you are holy!  Not true!

               ▸      Holiness is closely following the Lord Jesus (see Matthew 4:19)…in obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leading! (See John 14:15).  And the best way to consistently obey Christ is to follow His own example as He prayed in the garden:  “…nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42).

       ✞      “…zealous for good works.”  Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10 that “…we are… created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”  And what will these good works accomplish?

               ▸      Matthew 5:16 – “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”   People seeing your good works, and knowing why you are doing them, will glorify your Father in heaven!

               ▸ Titus 3:8 – “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that they who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works.  These things are good and profitable to men.”   They are good and profitable both to you and others!

These last two blogs, based on Titus 2:11 through 14, may not sound very Christmas-like!  But they truly do concern the first Advent – Christmas, as well as the second!  May you have a blessed, Godly, and holy Christmas!

December 22, 2017

Titus 2:11-14

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

It’s the Christmas season – and it’s far into it already!  We need to take a two or three-blog break from our study of Winners Or Whiners? and concentrate on the season.  So let’s consider Advent.  Advent is generally defined in Funk & Wagnalls Encyclopedic College Dictionary as, “A coming or arrival, as of any important event or person.”  Applied to the Christian faith, the word means, “The birth of Christ” or “The second expected coming of Christ.”  As a season, it applies to the four Sundays before Christmas.  Let’s concentrate on the first definition – the birth of Christ.  Our featured Scripture is Titus 2:11 through 14:

      For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teach-
      ing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly,
      righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and
      the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave
      Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify
      for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

The Apostle Paul was one to run on with a sentence.  This one sentence contains 74 words! But, oh, what words!  It certainly has to do with Advent because Paul begins with “…the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men….”  God’s grace, God’s salvation arrived with Jesus being born being born in a manger!  Actually, it arrived nine months earlier when, as recorded in Luke 1:38, Mary agreed to ‘lend’ her body to the Lord to fulfill what the angel Gabriel told her in verse 35:  “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore …that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”

But what does this first Advent of Christ mean to us – to all mankind?

•      Titus 2:11 – God’s “…salvation has appeared to all men…”  Some, of ‘limited atonement’ theology, believe that Jesus died only for those who are saved!  The Lord, being omniscient, knew who would respond to the gospel and who would not.  So His payment for sin on the cross only covers those who accept Him as their Savior!  But why then does it say in our Scripture that salvation has appeared to all men – meaning all humankind?  And what about such Scriptures as…

       ✞      Romans 5:6 – “…Christ died for the ungodly.”  According to Romans 3:23, “…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  So all are ungodly!

       ✞      II Corinthians 5:14 – “…Christ…died for all….”

       ✞      I Timothy 2:3 and 4 – “…God our Savior…desires all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.”

       ✞      I Timothy 4:10 – “…the living God…is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.”

There are more Scriptures, but we’ll let this suffice.  Thank God that His “…salvation has appeared to all men….”  All of us are invited in Revelation 22:17:  “…whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.” (See John 4:14; 6:55).

•      Titus 2:12 – “teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age….”  What is teaching us? “…the grace of God that brings salvation….”  Perhaps the greatest gift God has given to humanity – other than His own Son Jesus Christ – is the record of His grace that brings salvation, the Bible!  Without the Scriptures, how could we ever know His grace and salvation?

But it is more than just “Come to Me…[and] be saved…”! (Matthew 11:28; John 3:17).  We are told in Hebrews 12:14, “Pursue…holiness, without which no one will see the Lord….”

       ✞      “…denying ungodliness….” – Anything that goes against God and His will is to be denied access into our lives!  Take Philippians 4:8 (Good News Bible) for instance, which addresses our thought life – and remembering that all outward living comes from the thoughts of our mind! (See Luke 6:45):  “…fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise:  things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.”

       ✞      “…denying…worldly lusts….”  Worldly lusts are that which people pursue instead of God.  We are admonished in I John 2:15 through 17:

      Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world,
      the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world — the lust
      of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father
      but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he
      who does the will of God abides forever. (See also Matthew 6:19-34; Mark
      8:34-37; I Timothy 6:6-10).

       ✞      “…we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age….”

               ▸      Soberly – It means, “…with a sound mind…temporately, discreetly….” (Thayer’s Greek Definitions).

               ▸      Righteously – an adverb based on the word righteous which means, “…equitable (in character or act); by implication innocent, holy…” (Strong’s Greek Dictionary).

               ▸      Godly – this would mean acting like God – so people can see Jesus Christ in and through us! (See I Corinthians 12:27; II Corinthians 4:6).

               ▸      In the present age – This present age is ungodly because Satan is allowed dominion over “…all the kingdoms of the world…and their glory…” (Luke 4:5 and 6).  It is far too easy for Christians to get distracted with the things in the   world !  No wonder we are told in I Peter 5:8 to “…be sober, be vigilant…”!

Let’s finish this study of Advent from Titus 2:11 through 14 on Christmas Day.

December 20, 2017

Numbers 13:30-33

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

We are considering Winners Or Whiners? from Numbers 13:30 through 33:

      …Caleb quieted the people…and said, “Let us go up at once and take pos-
      session, [of Canaan] for we are well able to overcome it.”  But the men who
      had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people,
      for they are stronger than we….The land through which we have gone as
      spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw
      in it are men of great stature.  There we saw the giants (the descendants of
      Anak…); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were
      in their sight.”

As said in the last blog:  Ten of the spies sent out by Moses were Whiners!  Only two were Winners!  The Whiners prevailed and, as a result, Israel spent another 38 years in the Sinai desert!  We first looked at the Whiners, and here is a quick review:

•      Speaking about the majority of the Israelites (including the ten negative spies – the Whiners, Hebrews 4:2 (Good News Bible) says, “They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith.”  And it is only “…by grace you have been saved through faith…” (Ephesians 2:8).

•      The nature of their whining was that they were depending on their own perception of things, and not on God’s promises!  We are clearly told in II Corinthians 5:7, “…we walk by faith, not by sight.”  Faith often stands opposed to how we perceive things by our five senses!  Yes, the Canaanite adversaries were strong (see Numbers 13:28, 29), but the LORD was (and is) stronger!

And so, according to Numbers 13:31 the ten whining spies came to this conclusion:  “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”

Let’s continue:

•      Numbers 13:32 – “And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘the land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants….’ ”

       ✡      Devours its inhabitants?  That sounds like Canaan land was a place where they could not even eke out an existence!  God had five times previously described Canaan as “…a land flowing with milk and honey…” (Exodus 3:8; 3:13; 13:5; 33:3; Leviticus 20:24 – see also Deuteronomy 8:7-10).  And there they were standing with a bunch of grapes so large that two men had to carry it between them on a pole! (See Numbers 13:23).

       ✡      These ten had just told the Israelite that the Promised Land was filled with formidable foes (see Numbers 13:28, 29), as described in the last blog.  But now they had to bolster their argument with negative reasoning to make their point!

Isn’t that usually the case when we don’t want to follow a plan with which we disagree?  We not only point out the obvious drawbacks, we invent and add ultra-negative interpretations to support our position!  Be very careful not to do that when God is leading in a certain direction – even if it seems to be a difficult direction!  As someone has said, “What God decides, He also provides!”  And, “When God leads, He supplies the needs! ”

•      Numbers 13:32, 33 – “…and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.  There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants)….”

       ✡      We discussed descendants of Anak in the last blog:  “…they are said by a number of Bible scholars to be descended from the Nephilim – the offspring of fallen angels and human women!”

       ✡      What about the ten spies’ perception of giants?  They reported, all the people are giants!  All the people?  And were there really giants in the land?  Consider what is written in Joshua 11:21 and 22:

      And at that time Joshua came and cut off the Anakim from the mountains: 
      from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah,
      and…Israel.  Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities.  None of the
      Anakim were left in…Israel.  They remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in
      Ashdod.

So apparently there were men of great stature, giants in the land – later destroyed by Joshua.  But it is interesting:  There were some left in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.  This is Philistine territory!  And who, of the Philistines, later confronted and challenged Israel’s army?  Goliath of Gath! (See I Samuel 17:4-10).  He was a giant, described as being “…six cubits and a span.” (I Samuel 17:4).  He was about 9 feet, 8 inches tall!

Let’s think about Goliath for a moment.  What did the Israelites think about him, and how did they perceive the rest of the Philistine army?  I can just hear them saying, “Wow!  He’s one big dude!  Those Philistines must have a bunch of those big guys in their army!”  Well, apparently they did have a total of five, because Goliath had four brothers! (See II Samuel 21:18-22).  That’s probably why “…David…chose five smooth stones from the brook…” (I Samuel 17:39 and 40) – one for each of the five giant brothers!

I do not believe that all of the inhabitants of Canaan were giants.  But the ten spies saw some, and they transposed that description upon all the native population!

Be careful!  The perception of people, including yourself, may be quite different from the facts!  Ask God to give you a clear interpretation of the facts before you start spreading rumors!  It can be the difference between victory and defeat – between obeying the LORD and disobedience!

We need another blog just to analyze the negative results of the ten Whiners!

December 18, 2017

Numbers 13:30-33

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

The incident in Numbers 13 of the twelve spies sent into Canaan to reconnoiter the country has always fascinated me (see From Egypt To Canaan – XXV from October 24, 2016).  Moses commissioned twelve men – one from each tribe of Israel – to spy out the land God had promised to the Jews.  Only two brought back a positive report, Caleb and Joshua!  Ten gave a very negative report!  Here is the record from Numbers 13:30 through 33 of their report:

      …Caleb quieted the people…and said, “Let us go up at once and take pos-
      session, [of Canaan] for we are well able to overcome it.”  But the men who
      had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people,
      for they are stronger than we….The land through which we have gone as
      spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw
      in it are men of great stature.  There we saw the giants (the descendants of
      Anak…); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were
      in their sight.”

Ten men were Whiners!  Only two were Winners!  The Whiners prevailed and, as a result, Israel spent another 38 years in the Sinai desert!  Let’s consider the Whiners first:

•      In Hebrews 4:2 (Good News Bible) we are told, “…we have heard the Good News, just as they [the Israelites of Moses’ day] did.  They heard the message, but it did them no good, because when they heard it, they did not accept it with faith.”  The writer of Hebrews is referring to the gospel of Jesus Christ the Savior which is indeed Good News!  But such Good News must be received by faith believing – whatever God is promising! (See Romans 3:30; Ephesians 2:8).  Otherwise it does one no good at all!

The Good News of God fulfilling His word concerning the Promised Land of Canaan was certainly proclaimed by Caleb and Joshua.  After all, God had made that promise many times over the previous 600 or so years since the time of Abraham! (See Genesis 13:14, 15; 15:18-21; 17:7, 8; 26:4, 5; 48:3, 4; 50:24; Exodus 6:6-8).  If the Israelites had had faith in God’s promise, they would not have become Whiners and rejected the LORD’s leading to go in and conquer Canaan!

•      What was the nature of their whining?

       ✡      At first, the ten spies seemed to have faith in God’s promise.  They came back after forty days of reconnaissance bringing “…the fruit of the land…” (Numbers 13:26) – “…pomegranates and figs…and…one cluster of grapes…[which] they carried… between two of them on a pole.” (Numbers 13:23).  “…they told them… ‘…the land…truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.’ ” (Numbers 13:27).  So far, so good!  It sounds like the ten men were impressed with what God had promised!

       ✡      But then they turned negative – Numbers 13:28 and 29:

      “Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are
      fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.
      The Amalekites dwell in land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites,
      and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by
      the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”

               ▸      The descendants of Anak – The ten spies further said (part of our featured Scripture) – verse 33:  “There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak…).”  Often grouped with another race of giants in the Bible – Rephaims or Emims (see Deuteronomy 2:10, 11), they are said by a number of Bible scholars to be descended from the Nephilim – the offspring of fallen angels and human women! (See, for instance the article ‘What Are The Nephilim?’ by the Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry at https://carm.org/what-are-nephilim).  The Nephilim (a Hebrew word meaning ‘giants’) are mentioned in Genesis 6:2 (American Standard Version – see Genesis 6:1–4; Jude 1:6):

      The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when
the sons of God came unto the daughters of men, and they bare children
to them: the same were the mighty men that were of old, the men of re-
nown.

               ▸      The Hittites – a tribe of war-like people who occupied modern Turkey and northern Syria.  According to Deuteronomy 20:17, the Israelites were to utterly destroy the Hittites!  But they figured throughout Israel’s history in Canaan (see Judges 3:5; I Kings 11:1; Ezra 9:1; Nehemiah 9:8).

               ▸      The Jebusites – one of the nations that inhabited Palestine and even Jerusalem.  The Israelites were supposed to have destroyed this tribe also! (See Deuteronomy 20:17).  But they did not! (See Joshua 15:63; I Chronicles 11:4; Ezra 9:1; Nehemiah 9:8).

               ▸      The Amorites – decended from Emer, the fouth son of Canaan, the grandson through Ham of Noah (see Genesis 10:15-18).  They occupied the territory west of the Dead Sea.  As with the other Canaanite tribes, Israel was supposed to wipe them out (see Deuteronomy 20:17) but they did not! (See Judges 3:5; I Kings 19:20; Ezra 9:1; Nehemiah 9:8).

               ▸      The Canaanites – This is considered more of a general term for all the pagan tribes that occupied the land of Canaan.  As stated above, God instructed Israel to destroy those tribes, but they failed to fulfill His directive!

The ten spies, giving their negative whining report, were following what they saw with their eyes, their natural senses! (See Jeremiah 17:9; I Corinthians 2:14).  And their natural senses told them that they could not defeat the strong tribes of Canaan!  But, we are told in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  We are to ‘see’ not with our physical eyes, but with the eyes of faith!  If God leads us to do something, He will provide all we need to accomplish that task! (See Matthew 6:32, 33; Philippians 4:19).

More on Winners Or Whiners? in the next blog.

December 15, 2017

I Peter 5:6, 7

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

The title of this blog, Humbly Exalted, presents an oxymoron!  According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, an oxymoron is “…a figure of speech in which contradictory ideas or terms are combined (e.g. sweet sorrow).”  But this contradictory idea is explained in I Peter 5:6 and 7:  “…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

The big problem with humanity is the lack of humility!  That may sound rather strongly stated, but let’s consider it biblically.  The opposite of humility is pride!  And pride is at the root of all sin!

•      The first sin involved angelic beings – Lucifer, in particular.  His pre-sinful state is described in Ezekiel 28:12 through 15 (English Standard Version):

      Thus says the Lord GOD:  “You were the signet of perfection, full of
      wisdom and perfect in beauty.  You were in Eden, the garden of God;
      every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond,
      beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted
      in gold were your settings and your engravings.  On the day that you
      were created they were prepared.  You were an anointed guardian cher-
      ub.  I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst
      of the stones of fire you walked.  You were blameless in your ways from
      the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.”

Apparently, Lucifer…[the] anointed guardian cherub, let all the beautiful accouterments God gave him exalt his pride!  And what was the result of such pride?  It is described in Isaiah 14:13 through 14:

      …you have said in your heart; “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my
      throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congre-
      gation on the farthest sides of the north, I will ascend above the heights
      of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.”

Five times he stated this prideful exclamation – “I will…”!  And the last “I will…” was to take the place of God Himself!  And so the LORD said, “…I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; and I destroy you, O covering cherub….” (Ezekiel 28:16).

•      The second sin involved human beings – Adam and Eve.  But it was initiated by Satan (the former anointed guardian cherub, Lucifer) in the garden of Eden.  He tempted them to eat “…of the tree of knowledge of good and evil…” (Genesis 2:17), when God said they should not! (See Genesis 2:17).  But the devil told Eve, “You will not surely die.  For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4 and 5).  This was the same lie by which he himself had fallen!  You will be…God ! (See Isaiah 14:14 above).  As a result of pride, Adam and Eve fell for that lie!  And such a sinful attitude has been passed down to all generations since then – “I am in control!  I call my own shots!  I make my own decisions!  I am my own god! ”

“I am God! ”  This is the worst form of idolatry – making ourselves equal to, yes, even greater than God!  And this breaks the first commandment of the Ten:  “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3).  And, by the way, it also breaks the tenth! (Compare Exodus 20:17 with Colossians 3:5).  James writes in James 2:10: “…whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he shall be guilty of all.”  In other words, the law is a unit!  If you break one of the commandments, you have smashed the whole of it!  No wonder we are called sinners!  No wonder Paul writes in Romans 3:10 and 23:  “As it is written, ‘There is none righteous, no, not one….’  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  This is why we need a Savior!  This is why we need the Lord Jesus Christ! (See John 14:6; Acts 4:12; I Timothy 2:5).

So when Peter advises us in I Peter 5:6 to “…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God…,” we need to take a major spiritual step of humility, quit playing God, and humbly come before Him, admitting we have acted wrongly, turning away from directing our own lives, and submitting totally to His authority!

What happens then?  Peter goes on to tell us that when we “…humble…ourselves under the mighty hand of God, …He…[will] exalt [us]…in due time….”  The world, under the dominion of Satan (see Luke 4:5, 6) looks askance at Christians!  Paul writes in I Corinthians 2:14 and 1:18:

      …the natural [unsaved, non-Christian] man does not received the things of
      the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them,
      because they are spiritually discerned….For the message of the cross is
      foolishness to those who are perishing…..

So the apostle tells us in I Corinthians 1:26 through 28:

      For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh,
      not many mighty, not many noble are called.  But God has chosen the foolish
      things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak
      things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base
      things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and
      the things which are not to bring to nothing the things which are….

Christians are not much in the eyes of the world!  But God blesses us now because we are important to Him!  And there is coming a time when Jesus Christ will be revealed as “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS ” (Revelation 19:16), and we will be exalted with Him!  In the meantime, we are to leave our exaltation to Him, and “…humble…ourselves under the mighty hand of God …”! (See Luke 14:8-11).

Will we be ‘picked on’ when we humble ourselves?  Yes!  For Paul wrote in II Timothy 3:12, “…all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”  But do we need to worry about the problems that such persecution may cause?  No!  For our featured Scripture continues with I Peter 5:7:  “…casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”  He cares for you enough to have the Son of God die so you could be reconciled to the Father! (See Ephesians 2:13; Colossians 1:19-22).  And we are told in Romans 8:31 and 32:

      If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare His own
      Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely
      give us all things? (See also Matthew 6:31-34).

Trust in the Lord!  For He has destined us who trust to be Humbly Exalted!

December 13, 2017

John 11:25-27

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

There is so much in that we can learn from John 11:24 through 27!

      Jesus said to her [Martha], “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who
      believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and
      believes in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?”  She said to Him,
      “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to
      come into the world.”

How is it that Martha came to make her bold faith statement in verse 27?  “…I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

•      As related in the last blog, she believed…

       ✞      …that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah (see Psalm 2:2; Isaiah 61:1-3) long promised to Israel and the world!

       ✞      …that He was the Son of God, who is to come into the world (See Isaiah 9:6 and 7).  And so believing, that He was God the Son!  For Jesus was identifying Himself with the Father by His I am… statement – “I am the resurrection and the life.”

•      We looked at all twelve “I AM ” statements in the Gospel of John:

       ✞      five absolute “I AM ” statements (See John 6:20; 8:24; 8:28; 8:58; 18:4, 5).

       ✞      seven metaphorical “I AM ” statements (See 6:35, 48, 51; 8:12, 9:5; 10:7, 9: 10:11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1)

But Martha preceded her bold faith statement with these two words:  “Yes, Lord….”  She called Him “Lord,” her Master!  It was common in Biblical times for a woman to call a man who had authority over her, “lord ”  We are told this concerning Sarah, Abraham’s wife in I Peter 3:6:  “…Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord….”  This may chafe some in our culture today, but it occurred back then because the male was considered the absolute head (under God) of the family.  But she calling Jesus Lord was more than that!  For she recognized that He is not just the head of the family, but the Head of all! (See Ephesians 1:19-23; 4:15; Colossians 1;16-18; 2:9, 10).  And her “yes” was in response to Jesus’ great I am… statement in verses 25 and 26.  Martha was in agreement with what her Lord Jesus had just said!

Now let’s consider what Jesus had just said (remembering the situation Martha and her sister Mary were in:  Their brother Lazarus had died just four days before! – See John 11:39)…

•      John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the life.”

       ✞      Only God can give physical life! (See Genesis 2:7; Ezekiel 37:1-10).

       ✞      Only God can conquer death! (See Romans 6:9; I Corinthians 15:54-57; II Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 2:14, 15; Revelation 21:4).

       ✞      Only God can resurrect someone from the dead! (See John 10:17, 18; II Corinthians 13:4; Revelation 1:18).

       ✞      Only God can give eternal life! (See John 3:15, 16; 3:36; 5:24; 6:40, 47; 17:1, 2; Romans 6:23; I John 5:11-13).

                                            …so Jesus must be God!

•      John 11:25 – “He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.”  This speaks at first reflection about those who die righteous, that is, those who die being declared righteous by the grace of God because they have believed His promise of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ! (See John 5:24; 10:27, 28; 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:22-25; I John 5:11-13).  They have eternal life!  And so, I think, Martha must have equated Jesus’ statetment to her brother having eternal life!  After all, and according to John 11:39, she did not think in terms of Lazarus coming back to life immediately!

•      John 11:26 – “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”  But Lazarus did believe!  And he did die!  So she must have again related this statement of the Lord to the spiritual realm of eternal life.

•      John 11:26 – “Do you believe this? ”  This is the challenging question Jesus asks us all!

       ✞      It is more than mental assent!  Even the the hosts of Satan make mental assent that Jesus is God the Son, the Savior and Lord!  For it tells us in James 2:19, “You believe that there is one God.  You do well.  Even the demons believe — and tremble! ”  They have factual knowledge.  But such knowledge must be accompanied by faith – and a life that shows forth that faith! (See James 2:14-26).  The writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 4:2 speaks of those many thousands who perished in the wilderness during the time of Moses:  “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”  Mixed with faith – it is a heart belief (a whole-being belief) in and into God’s redemptive work through His Son dying in our place and rising again! (See Romans 10:9-13).

       ✞      There are those who will say in the day of judgment, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” (Matthew 7:22).  But it was lip-service, not from the heart!  For Jesus “…will declare to them; I never knew you; depart from Me, you practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23).

       ✞      It is faith that results in action – a life lived out that shows forth faith!  As it says in James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Martha may have had her doubts, her faith-struggles.  But her obedience in the end showed her faith to be real and true!  When Jesus challenged her, “Do you believe this? ” she answered, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”  And her life showed it!

Do you believe this?  What is your response?  How is your life lived out to show it?

December 11, 2017

John 11:21-24

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

We have to step back a bit and look at what happened just before Jesus made His profound statement of John 11:25 and 26, which ended with the challenge, “Do you believe this? ” and to which Martha confessed, “Yes, Lord, I believe…” (John 11:27).  Let’s examine John 11:21 through 24:

      …Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would
      not have died.  But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God
      will give You.”  Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”  Martha
      said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last
      day.”

•      John 11:21 – “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

       ✞      Martha, obviously, had heard about Jesus’ miracles – many of which involved healing! (See for instance John 4:46-54; Mark 1:21-28; 1:40-45; Luke 8:43-46; 17:11-19).  So she thought that had the Lord been there four days earlier, her brother Lazarus would still be alive!

       ✞      She should also have called to mind how Jesus brought the dead back to life!  It is probable that she had heard the reports of two previous incidents where He had raised the dead:

               ▸      Luke 7:11 through 17 – the son of the widow of Nain.

               ▸      Mark 5:22 and 23, 35 through 43 – Jairus’ daughter.

•      John 11:22 – “But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”  This is a powerful statement of faith!  But, as we shall see, Martha’s faith was still limited!  We can confess strong declarations of faith.  But when it comes down to acting on our declarations, we too often fall short!

       ✞      We are, in many instances, like the man who brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus in Mark 9:17 through 27.  Here is the interaction between the boy’s father and the Lord – verses 23 and 24 (East-to-Read Version):

      “The spirit often throws him into a fire or into water to kill him.  If you
      can do anything, please have pity on us and help us.”  Jesus said to the
      father, “Why did you say ‘if you can’?  All things are possible for the
      one who believes.”

       ✞      Strong and effective faith is as James describes in James 1:6 through 8 (God’s Word to the Nations):

      When you ask for something, don’t have any doubts.  A person who has
      doubts is like a wave that is blown by the wind and tossed by the sea.  A
      person who has doubts shouldn’t expect to receive anything from the
      Lord.  A person who has doubts is thinking about two different things
      at the same time and can’t make up his mind about anything.

       ✞      Perhaps Martha was thinking, “Yes, I believe whatever Jesus asks of the Father, God will give it to Him.  But will He ask concerning my brother?  Will He do this for me?”  That is a lot like us!  We think, “I know He can do it, but will He?”

•      John 11:23 – “Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ ”  Resurrection of the dead is prophesied in the Old Testament in such passages as…

       ✞      …Job 19:25 and 26 – “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.”

       ✞      …Daniel 12:2 – “…many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

       ✞      …Psalm 16:9 through 11 – “…my flesh also will rest in hope.  For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow Your Holy One to see corruption.  You will show me the path of life….”

       ✞      …Isaiah 26:19 – “Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise.  Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust…the earth shall cast out the dead.”

       ✞      …Hosea 13:14 – “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.  O Death, I will be your plagues!  O Grave, I will be your destruction! ”

                     …and Martha was familiar with these Hebrew Scriptures!

However, as shown in the following verses, Jesus was referring to His immediate power over life and death (see Revelation 1:18), not just concerning the future resurrection!  But Martha was thinking more about the resurrection at the end of time!

What about your conception of God’s power?  Which is easier to grasp?

       ✞      …that Jesus has all power over life and death, and He will demonstrate that in the future?

                                                              Or…

       ✞      …that He will enter into your immediate need now with His unlimited power?

•      John 11:24 – “Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ ”  This statement of Lazarus’ sister shows that she was trusting in the power of the Lord for the distant future, and not for the immediate resolution of the problem at hand!

•      There is another verse, John 11:39, that displays Martha’s doubts about Jesus’ power!  At Lazarus’ tomb, “Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’  Martha…said to Him, ‘ Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.’ ”  In her mind, her brother was dead and decaying!  And he would remain in that condition until the end of days!

But Jesus was about to change her whole faith outlook by what He said in the next verses, John 11:25 and 26….

December 8, 2017

John 11:25-27

(All Scripture is from the New King James Version unless otherwise indicated)

Let’s continue considering the question that Jesus asked Martha in John 11:27:  “Do you believe this? ”  Here is our featured Scripture, John 11:24 through 27:

      Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes
      in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes
      in Me shall never die.  Do you believe this?”  She said to Him, “Yes,
      Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come
      into the world.”

We saw that Martha was busy with household duties (see Luke 12:40), but she still gleaned a lot of information from Jesus’ teaching!  And, apparently, her understanding of Jesus’ truth in our featured Scripture shows that she was quite familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures!  In review, Martha told Jesus, “…I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

•      She understood and believed the prophecies that Messiah (Christ in the New Testament) would come into the world to save Israel!

       ✞      It was more than a physical military deliverance from Roman oppression!

       ✞      The Messiah’s mission involved spiritual salvation! (See Isaiah 53:5, 6, 10-12).

•      She understood and believed that Jesus was…

       ✞      …the Christ, which means the anointed One! (See Psalm 2:2; Isaiah 61:1-3).

       ✞      …the Son of God, who is to come into the world ! (See Isaiah 9:6, 7).

•      She was led and taught by the Holy Spirit! (See John 6:44; I John 2:27; 5:6).

Let’s go on:  We must remember the situation in which this family of the town of Bethany found themselves.   They were three siblings:  Lazarus, Martha, and Mary – apparently all unmarried.  We are told in John 11:1 that “…Lazarus…was sick….”  Thirteen verses later in John 11:14 Jesus told His disciples, “Lazarus is dead.”  By the time the Lord showed arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had “…been dead four days.” (John 11:39).  Obviously, his sisters, Martha and Mary were mourning for their brother!

It is in this context that Jesus shared these great truths with Martha!  Before we examine these great truths, I want to make a point:  More than once great truths were shared with just one person! (See for examples Matthew 1:19-21; Luke 1:11-17; 26-33; John 9:35-39; II Corinthians 12:2-4).  But it is evident that the Lord wanted these great truths to be shared with many people!

Jesus said to Martha…

•      John 11:25 – “I am the resurrection and the life.”  He did not say, “I will be resurrected,” and “I give life to others,” although this is true!  But we usually miss a great truth that is hidden in the first two words – I am…!  In the Gospel of John Jesus referred to Himself as “I AM ” twelve times! (In many translations, this is not emphasized, but the Modern King James Version gets it right – as seen in the following verses).

       ✞      There are five absolute “I AM ” statements:

               ▸      John 6:20 – When the Lord walked on water to his disciples struggling through a storm, they thought He was a ghost.  “But He said to them, I AM! Do not be afraid.”

               ▸      John 8:24 – Jesus told the unbelieving Pharisees, “…if you do not believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins.”

               ▸      John 8:28 – Again to the Pharisees: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you shall know that I AM….”

               ▸      John 8:58 – Finally, in the same conversation: “Truly, truly, I say to you, Before Abraham came into being, I AM! ”

               ▸      John 18:4, 5 – When they came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Then Jesus…went out and said to them, ‘Whom do you seek?’  They answered Him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’  Jesus said to them, ‘I AM!’ ”

       ✞      There are seven metaphorical “I AM ” statements:

               ▸      John 6:35, 48, and 51 – “I am the Bread of life….I am the living Bread which came down from heaven.”

               ▸      John 8:12, and 9:5 – “I am the Light of the world.”

               ▸      John 10:7, and 9 – “I am the door of the sheep.”

               ▸      John 10:11, and 14 – “I am the Good Shepherd.”

               ▸      John 11:25 – “I am the Resurrection and the Life! ”

               ▸      John 14:6 – “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life….”

               ▸      John 15:1 – “I am the True Vine….”

Of course, when Jesus is identifying Himself by these “I AM ” statements, He is using the name by which God introduced Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14 and 15:  “I AM WHO I AM….This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.”  Jesus was boldly stating that He is the very God of the Old Testament!  I think Martha may have gotten that!  It could be one of the big reasons why she knew Jesus to be the Messiah – the anointed One come from the Father – the Son of God !

We will continue this series, Do You Believe This? on Monday.