Pray Without Ceasing and Happy New Year

1 Thessalonians 5
17 Pray without ceasing.

What does this mean?

1 Timothy 2
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2 for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
4 who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Looking back, my number one theme for 2008 was the Saving Grace of Jesus Christ. For 2009, the main theme was the Church of Christ on Earth. I think, for 2010, the theme will be Prayer Life.

I took time off from work to do some reading. Google "The Way of a Pilgrim."

Baptism

John 3
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

This may not be Biblical but....

I have come to believe that you must be baptized of water, immersed, and you must be baptized of the Holy Spirit. When you are baptized of water you become reconciled to the Church. When you are baptized of the Spirit you becomed reconciled to Jesus - transformed and purified.

When you receive both of these baptisms you are prepared, ready to enter the Kingom of God.

About Reconciliation From Colossians 1
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreprovable in his sight....

Merry Christmas

John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Merry Christmas, Jesus....

Simple Truth

Ecclesiastes 12
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

So ends my reading of Ecclesiastes. And, in conclusion....

No matter how much we study, no matter how much we increase our knowledge of God, we must not lose sight of simple, simple profound truths and basic principals. Above are the basic simple truths. Every passage we read, every thing we do during a day should reflect this passage. Fear God, live righteously. And, you will be judged by God....

Children's Song
Jesus loves me this I know
For the Bible tells me so....
The truth does not change, from childhood, to adulthood, to our end here on earth....

The Days of Old

Psalms 77
5 I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.

I do find meaning in the days of old - and not in the days of now. I don't have much use for purpose driven anything, or current political issues, or TV evangelism or radio evangelism, or whatever.

More From Psalms 77
11 I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old.

The days of old when men of God walked the earth.

Profoundly Conservative

Ecclesiastes 8
4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.

Here the advice is accept the authority of the king even the wicked king. Suggests commandments from the king come from God. And, goodness flows from sovereign stability. I see that same acceptance of sovereignty in the New Testament (Romans Chapter 13). So, the question, for me, is what are the Christian concerns about politics. No answers today.

More From Ecclesiastes 8
10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.

Wicked refers to kings. The judgement of the wicked king rests with God....

Eat, Drink And Be Merry

Ecclesiastes 8
15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.

I know the accepted meaning of this passage, accepted by Christians (tranquil enjoyment of God's temporal gifts that you earned). But it just does not read right to me. I see two interpretations. Either it's Solomon, sitting at the head of a huge, well-supplied banquet table, with hundreds of his courtiers. Or I see a bunch of young adults, revelling at a bar, after a long, hard day at work.

More From Ecclesiastes 8
17 Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea farther; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

God's Mysteries

Ecclesiastes 3
11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

God's vast, grand work, God's law, cannot be completely understood. And this, should give us a fear-filled, profound sense of humility in everything we say and everything we do....

The Goats of Solomon

Song of Solomon 41 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

This is the verse that finally convinced me that Song of Solomon is alegory. For the Jews, between God and Israel. For the Christians, between Christ and the Church. On the other hand, I don't just warm up to the man-woman imagery.

Matthew 25
6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Dancing with the Devil

Romans 1
28 ....God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful....

This is directed to the ungodliness and unrighteousness of the gentiles.

If you are not being righteous you are dancing with the devil. For example, sitting in the back yard with family, BBQ'ing, drinking beers and talking loud and telling stupid jokes and watching Nascar. I don't think this type of behavior is necessarily a sin, then again, this type of behavior is not righteous and this type of behavior does not please God, the way, let's say, the burnt offering pleased God in the days of Leviticus....

Galatians 5
21 ....revellings....

Inching Toward Salvation

Matthew 6
13 Lead us not into temptation....

In this prayer, we ask our Father, who art in heaven, lead us not into temptation. This is odd. That he would indeed lead us into temptation. But he does. Alot, as does Satan. God tests us, like he tested Abraham and like he tested Job. God testing us daily is inherently part of life.

On the other hand, He is always there to help with our trials and tribulations.

More From Matthew 6
13 ....but deliver us from evil....

Somehow, all the decisions I've made in life did not lead - straight to perdition. Jesus was always there, not leading me straight to salvation. No, he was always inching me, ever so slowly, toward the gates of heaven......

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

I Am Not A Great Man

Romans 5
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

As great men read the Bible, they find deep, profound and complex truths. They find justification, sanctification, propitiation, reconciliation, redemption, regeneration, reprobanion. I have no doubt whatsoever that these are indeed profound biblical truths. To the extent I understand them.

But me. I'm not a great man. I'm a simple man. And, the more I read the Bible, the more simple truth becomes. Jesus died for our sins. We are saved - born again - by faith. We must live by the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,meekness, temperance.

Softly And Tenderly

I've always loved hymns. And now, with the internet, I've discovered so many inspiring stories about those who created them.

Story From www.cyberhymnal.org
When the world-re­nowned lay preach­er, Dwight Ly­man Moody, lay on his death bed in his North­field, Mass­a­chu­setts, home, Will Thomp­son made a spe­cial vi­sit to in­quire as to his con­di­tion. The at­tend­ing phy­si­cian re­fused to ad­mit him to the sick­room, and Moody heard them talk­ing just out­side the bed­room door. Re­cog­niz­ing Thomp­son's voice, he called for him to come to his bed­side. Tak­ing the Ohio po­et-com­pos­er by the hand, the dy­ing evan­gel­ist said, "Will, I would ra­ther have writ­ten "Soft­ly and Ten­der­ly Je­sus is Call­ing" than an­y­thing I have been able to do in my whole life."

The Hymn
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He's waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

Almost forgot. No posts without an appropriate Bible verse. Everything you do, everything that happens, should have, an appropriate Bible verse.

Revelation 14
1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Zion, and with him a hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

More On Hebrew Women

Isaiah 4
4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

Here, the theme of the daughters of Zion is continued. And here, they seem to be assigned a central roll in the fall of Jerusalem.

For these passage on the Daughters of Zion, I have only questions. What is God's message to Hebrew women? What was God's message to Christian women in Jesus time? What is God's message to modern women? And, finally, any message here for men?

And no answers....

Hebrew Women

Isaiah 3
12 As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.

And
16 Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:
17 Therefore the LORD will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.

Here is the Lord's judgement upon the Daughters of Zion. The Lord's anger is evident in this passaage. These women appear to have important positions in society. Makes you wonder about our own women leaders - senators, congressmen, Executive Office cabinet secretaries, govenors.

It's odd. I can think of no analogous New Testament passage. No special, specific message for our women leaders in the New Testament. I guess the lesson for Christian women is: live humbly and righteously by the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Which, is the same lesson for men....

More On The Daughters Of Zion From Isaiah 3
18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,
19 The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings,
21 The rings, and nose jewels,
22 The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
23 The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails.
24 And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty.

Rashi On Youth

Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Rashi From Chabad.org
Reflect upon three things.  Remember your Creator that you will give an accounting and reckoning before Him; and remember your pit, your grave, a place of earth, maggots, and worms; and remember your well, the well that flows from its source: that is the putrid droplet of seed and semen.

One regret in life. Somehow I wish I had truly understood this verse thirty years ago. Then again, now, this passage is loaded with thirty years of meaning....

Shut up

Ecclesiastes 5
2 Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.

Words to live by. Another, wonderful,  passage that echos the New Testament Fruits of the Holy Spirit. A good passage for starting a cool, sunny, November day...

Reality

Ecclesiastes 9
2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

This is an inarguable truth. Here is where Bible doctrine begins. No phony truths like the righteous win, the wicked loose. Ecclesiastes is a good place to begin a study of providence.

More From Ecclesiastes 912 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them

Jesus Is Coming

Luke 21
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Southern Gospel Song
There will be a happy meeting in heaven I know,
when we see the many loved ones we've known here below,
Gather on the blessed hill tops with hearts all aglow,
That will be a glad reunion day....

I was listening to this song on my mp3 while walking to work the other day, just filled with the Holy Spirit and got to thinking what a wonderful day it will be, when Jesus comes! I think that is what is suggested by this gospel song.

On the other hand, mostly, that's not how I think of the future. When I look at the future I see me living my life as best as I can, and passing and sleeping in wait of Jesus. And, when Jesus is ready, good and ready, he will come. And I will come with him, if that be his will. And then, finally, we will have that "glad renunion day."

1 Thessalonians 4
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Jesus, Divine

1 Peter 3
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Understanding Jesus, his life, his mission, his essence, is a life long task. Above is, by far, the bible passage I've spent the most time studying.

This passage is not about Jesus, the man, ministering to the people of Noah's time. It's about Jesus, divine, working divinely in a way we may not understand, from the very beginning of time.

Who is the Enemy?

Psalms 143
3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.

A Thought
As beautiful as many of the passagas in Psalms are, there are just too many references to enemies for me to spiritually or rationally comprehend. So, this post provides (maybe a little too much) background for my continued consideration on this subject.

Webster 1828
EN'EMY, n. [L. inimicus.]
1. A foe; an adversary. A private enemy is one who hates another and wishes him injury, or attempts to do him injury to gratify his own malice or ill will. A public enemy or foe, is one who belongs to a nation or party, at war with another.
I say to you, love your enemies. Matt.5.
Enemies in war; in peace friends.
2. One who hates or dislikes; as an enemy to truth or falsehood.
3. In theology, and by way of eminence, the enemy is the Devil; the archfiend.
4. In military affairs, the opposing army or naval force in war, is called the enemy.

Psalm 64 With John Gill Commentary In Italics1
Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.....David had his enemies. Saul and his courtiers, and was afraid of them; Christ had his enemies the wicked Jews, who sought his life before the time, and therefore he walked no more in Judea till near the time; and whose human nature was sometimes possessed of the fears of death, though they were sinless ones: the church and people of God have their enemies; as the men of the world, who revile, reproach, and persecute them; Satan their adversary, who goes about seeking to devour them.

Scattered Thoughts
Sorry, I just don't have enemies. I almost feel I should apologize. I think it's a genetic predisposition.

The essense of a normal life, Christian or non-Christian, may be a grand war against one's enemies, with God on one's side. Hense, references to enemies in the Psalms.

Me, I'm a spectator. I just can't seem to bring up those emotions necessary to consider one an enemy. It doesn't seem Christian...Satan, however, I do consider an enemy.

If enemy refers to a specific person or people, and it usually does, then it can be considered a metaphor for Satan, the enemy.

Rich Baptists From North Dallas

[This post is not in any way meant to be snide, critical or judgemental. Just some personal observations on a dreary, damp, chilly November day].

Ecclesiastes 3
12 I know that there is no good in them [enjoyments], but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

This passage reminds me of rich North Dallas Baptists. Decent people, God fearing people, no doubt, but with a focus on big houses, big SUV's, and 'better' Christian schools for the kids.

This just doesn't work for me. I'm better satisfied with the focus on Christian longsuffering, and a short wait for Jesus return.

A Little More From Ecclesiastes 3
16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work

It just seems to me that mixing righteousness and riches is counter-intuitive, if not doctrinally unsound. Strike the last sentence. Mixing righteousness and riches just doesn't make sense. To me....

Bluegrass Gospel

Psalm 149
3 Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp.

Gospel Song
If I'm not coming when rewards go around,
Please precious Jesus give mother my crown....

I love this song. I remember it from forty years ago. It's one of those songs etched on my heart. I note with some amusement that some gospel songs make no doctrinal sense. Above is such a song. But I have no doubt, whatsoever, that God approves of and enjoys this song....

Next Verse From Psalms 149
4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation....

God's Bounty

Ecclesiastes 2
24 There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
25 For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Here, the Preacher talks about God's great bounty. God's message to the Jew: be righteous and enjoy God's bounty. God's message to the Christian: tradition provides same message as for the Jews. But, this interpretation seems not to reconcile well to the basic teachings of Jesus in the Gospel.

I, in my later years, take little joy in the great bounty God provided to me. I am comforted by the in the saving grace that comes from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

David To Soloman

1 Chronicles 28
20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
From David, a man who spilt blood, to his son, who did not spill blood, and who, would be allowed, by God, to build the temple. But then, after the temple was built, Solomon's moral decline is painful to read about....
Such, is, I guess, the way of any man...

Musing On The Works Of The Lord

Psalms 143
4 ....my heart within me is desolate.
5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.
6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

The nice thing about growing old, and tired....you get to look back, you've got perspective, and you see the futility of earthly life. You also see the wonder that is our Lord.

More From Psalms 143
7 Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

Dear Lord, Make Me Rich

Psalms 144
13 [Dear LORD, pray] That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:

I think it is better for a Christian to pray for bread daily, than to pray for....ten thousand loaves of bread....

Prayer That Works For Me Dear Lord. Have mercy on my soul, and give me peace. Amen.

Thank You Hodijah And Jozabad

Nehemiah 8
7 Also Jeshua, and Bani, and Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodijah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, Pelaiah, and the Levites, caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place.
8 So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

Understanding the word of God is not simple and straightforward. Understanding the word of God is not a self-help task. We should always be thankful for wonderful, learned men like Hodijah And Jozabad who help us poor sinners understand the word of God....

Here are some that help me: John Gill, David Kimhi, S. Yitzhaki, Roger Williams, Charles Sperry Chafer, Noah Webster, C. I. Scofield.

God Loves Singing

Nehemiah 7
67 Beside their manservants and their maidservants, of whom there were seven thousand three hundred thirty and seven: and they had two hundred forty and five singing men and singing women.

This is from the geneology of the return from the captivity. It gives some indication that God loves singing. I wonder what he thinks of the Gaithers. I myself love Southern Gospel music.

Deep Places

Psalms 135
6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.

M. G. Easton Definition of Deep
Used to denote (1.) the grave or the abyss (Rom 10:7; Luk 8:31); (2.) the deepest part of the sea (Psa 69:15); (3.) the chaos mentioned in Gen 1:2; (4.) the bottomless pit, hell (Rev 9:1, Rev 9:2; Rev 11:7; Rev 20:13).

Question: Does the deep, seem real, in 2009?

More From Psalms 1357 He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.

It's almost like life is moving too fast to even ask the question. But to me, it's real....

Songs And Sin

Psalms 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

Here, the Jews sit by a Babyonian river, and mourn their fate, indulge their sorrows, and give vent to their grief. We should, once in awhile, take take time to give vent to such feelings. Note, these Jews did not have the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We, thank God, at such moments, do.....

Prayer
Lord Jesus, what have l done with my life? Have mercy on me, a sinner.

Song
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

More On Psalms And Enemies

Psalms 140
1 Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;
2 Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.
3 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.

This passage is for the Jew, I think, not the Christian. Here David asks God's help in the face of his enemies, before he becomes king. It is difficult in this age, especially after the events of 9/11, to take comfort in the words of Jesus.

Luke 6
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28 bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

But then again....There may be a distinction between a neighbor and an enemy

Matthew 22
44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

The Remnant

Nehemiah 1
3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

Sometimes it seems that at least some of us - Christians - are but a remnant, living in affliction, waiting, but for what? On bad days we are overwhelmed with financial problems and are anxious and can't figure out what we are waiting for, except some kind of relief. On good days, we are smiling, and waiting, patiently for Jesus.

More From Nehemiah 1
11 O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

Sojourners

1 Chronicles 29 (With John Gill's Commentary In Italics)
15. For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers.... For though they were in possession of the land of Canaan, yet they held it not in their own right, but as the Lord's,

who said, the land is mine.... Leviticus 25:23, they were but tenants in it, and were not to abide long here; they belonged to another city and country; the consideration of which might tend to set them loose to worldly things, and the more easily to part with them for the service of God, and the honour of his name:

our days on the earth are as a shadow.... man's life is expressed by days, not months and years, being so short; and by days on earth, in distinction from the days of heaven, or eternity; and these said to be as a shadow, of a short continuance, empty, mutable, and uncertain, dark and obscure, quickly gone, like the shadow of the sun; and not only like that, or of a mountain, tree or wall; but, as the Targum, of a bird that is flying, which passes away at once:

and [there is] none abiding,.... not long, much less always, being but sojourners as before; so Cato in Cicero is represented as saying, "I depart out of this life as from an inn, and not an house; for nature has given us an inn to sojourn, not a place to dwell in:" or "there is no hope or expectation"; of living long, of recalling time, and of avoiding death.

Here is a wonderful passage, along with Gill's commentary. My thought is, Christian or Jew, we own nothing, nothing but our own salvation...

A Haughty Heart

Psalms 131
1 Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.

To me, just to me, and aside from any consideration of the doctrines of grace, this describes the essence of a Christian life.

Fixing The Church

Ezra 3
10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, after the ordinance of David king of Israel.

Here, in Ezra 3, the remnant start to build the temple. And when the foundation is complete, they celebrate their effort for the glory of God.

I noticed they repaired and painted the old Baptist church I used to go to. It looked so good, though it's a very modest building. Surely, the repair made God, very happy....

R. A. Torrey During WW I

Colossians 3
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

This post is about pure, true faith in the coming of Jesus Christ.

World War I was probably the most frightening period in American history. After the United States entered the war, Americans had more doubts and fears about the future maybe even than World War II and other wars. I ran across this letter from R. A. Torrey to his daughter, Edith. His daughter had written to her father about her profound worries over the war. The link below is Torrey's reply to his daugher. The letter provides his views on the war and Bible passages he found comfort in. He calmly focused on the return of Christ. I wonder whether it was comforting to his daughter. Especially see the second paragraph of the letter.

The letter to his daughter is at http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/Papers/Torrey/36.htm

A Just War

1 Chronicles 19
12 And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.
13 Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.

Here, Joab, a captain of David's army, faces battle, with God on his side. His character is deeply stained, but, on this day, he has God on his side. Nothing in New Testament compares to this passage. Christian soldiers do not draw blood. Or do they?

Food for thought: Lincoln during the Civil War, FDR during WWII, and the founding fathers during the Revolutionary war....

Morning And Evening

1 Chronicles 23
30 And to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at even:

At the end of David's reign, the Jews begin dwelling at Jerusalem and the Levites are organized. Their responsibilities and rituals are provided by God through David.

Here, the requirement for morning and evening praise is set forth. Morning and evening Bible study is a similar routine. Comforting. A routine that keeps God in your life, day by day. It's like the bookends of the day...

God, Nation, King, People

1 Chronicles 17
16 And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?

In this chapter, David sits before God and thanks Him for the blessings He pours upon Israel and himself. Once, in the history of the world, God, Nation, King, and People are perfectly aligned.

How's the alignment in America? Now? During WW2? In the 18th Century? During it's founding?

Feast of Tabernacles - For All Nations

Leviticus 23
34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles forseven days unto the LORD.

Zechariah 14
16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, theLORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

My daily Bible reading happened to be Leviticus Chapter 23 on the third day of Sukkot. And I coincidentaly read a news article about evangelicals in Israel celebrating the holiday. I wonder if I should start keeping the feast of tabernacles.

Esther And Hegai

Esther 2
8 So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.
9 And the maiden pleased him [Hegai], and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king's house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.

Here, Hegai, keeper of the women, takes an interest - not prurient - in Esther. How odd. It's almost like Mordecai and Hegai are managing a Hollywood starlet....

I hope this post is not a sacrilege....I'm just having trouble understanding this book without God.

Old Testament Nations

1 Chronicles 16
20 And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people;
21 He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,
22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

Whenever I see the word nation in the Old Testament I try to figure out if there is some evident connection to Christians and the New Testament. Different passages, different answers.

In general though, Paul was right, Cnristianity is a mystery....

More from 1 Chronicles 16
24 Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.
25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all gods.

He That Is Not Against Us Is for Us

Mark 9
37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me.
38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us; and we forbade him, because he followeth not us.
39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
40 For he that is not against us is on our part.
41 For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.

Seems like Jesus is setting a low standard for salvation...

Some Questions:
How is this passage reconciled to passages on apostacy?
How is this passage reconciled to the parable of the tares?
How is this passage reconciled to the parable of the Unprofitable Servant?

Are there two Jesuses? Is there a Jesus who strikes fear in our hearts? And, a Jesus who we can alway turn to for comfort, without doubt?

The Stoning of a Sabbath Breaker

Numbers 15
32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day.
33 And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation.
34 And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him.
35 And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.
36 And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses.

This is one of those passages that you could meditate on....for a month. Compare to the smoting of Uzza (1 Chronicles 13).

The lessons here? Consider God's will. Take the sabbath seriously. Take God seriously. Passages like this....force you to think about God, his nature, his will, what he truely wants from you. And then you give some thought to Jesus......

War

1 Chronicles 10
8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa.
9 And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and to the people.

2 Samuel 1
17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

David's Song of the Bow. It's comforting to read this and ponder this past eight years of war. Especially as decisions are now being made on the course of the wars - Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran....

History Repeats?

Esther 9
4 For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.
5 Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.

I think it's best to be very careful applying the Bible to current events. Very careful, and thoughtful. Be that as it may, a thought on this passage came to mind. King Ahasuerus' relationship with Mordecai reminds me of President Bush's relationship with Paul Wolfowitz and Richard Pearl....

More From Esther 9
13 Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.
14 And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons.
16 But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,

Uzza Smote By God

1 Chronicles 13
9 And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.
10 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.

This is the passage that puts the fear of God in me. Uzza is trying to do right. And God smotes him.

More From 1 Chronicles 13
12 And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?

God's punishment seems to be arbitrary, even unjust.

Still More From 1 Chronicles 13
13 So David brought not the ark home to himself to the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obededom the Gittite.
14 And the ark of God remained with the family of Obededom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom, and all that he had.

Maybe the lesson here is - we do not take God seriously enough. Do not question his actions, do not question his soveveignty.

Mighty Men

1 Chronicles 11
11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.

Here's a question. Do we, Christian men, want to be mighty men, like those Old Testament men of David's time? Mighty men slaying Philistines? Or. Do we want to be humble men of God, quietly doing the Lord's bidding?

Oh yes, it's going to be a blessed day.

Job, The Stranger

Job 7
7 ....O remember that my life is wind....

The first time I read Job, I did not enjoy the experience. I did not find the first 31 chapters at all useful. The second time I read it I really enjoyed it, all of the chapters, even the first 31. I was moved. I could see how the first 31 chapters related to the later chapters. I just needed some patience.

A lot of Job's discussion reminds me, for some reason, of 'The Stranger' by Albert Camus. Oh yeah, many years ago, 'The Stranger' was my bible. Before the Bible became my Bible....

Porters

1 Chronicles 9
21 And Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was porter of the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

Working for the glory of God....in a humble way....

Mountain of Nebo

Deuteronomy 34
1 And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the LORD shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,
3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

The Hebrews, purified, with Moses, who led them so faithfully, on Mount Nebo, looking out over their inheritance. So much promise. Yet, also, looming misery and despair. And what follows in the Old Testament is the story of the Jews. It is also the story - the unfolding - of the true nature of man and his inability to live without the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

The Wood Offering

Nehemiah 13
31 And for the wood offering, at times appointed, and for the first fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good.

In Ezra, the temple is built. In Nehemiah, the wall is built. Finally, at the end of Nehemiah, the daily operation of the temple is put in good order. The wood offering, to provide wood for the daily burnt offering, is a good symbol for God's will for the church.

God's will. It is a daily, not a weekly and not a casual, operation....

[I had to spend some time studying the background of this passage to understand it].

Let the words of my mouth

1Psalms 19
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

When I was young, this was the Bible passage read each Sunday before the Bible reading. It is one of those Bible passages that are etched in my heart....

John the Baptist - the Humble Life

Luke 3
12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
15 And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;

Simple. Here starts the Gospel theme of living simply and humbly. Wait a second. Where does this theme start?

An Ox

Isaiah 1
3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

A humble man is not too proud to think of himself, not as an eagle, not as a lion, but as an ox......

On the other hand, the things we shout about, abortion, creeping socialism, for examples, are not insignifant issues that can easily ignored....

Ezra And Nehemiah

Nehemiah 8
1 And all the people gathered themselves together as one man into the street that was before the water gate; and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded to Israel.

I read Ezra last month, and now I'm up to Nehamiah 8. And I've been confused over the sequence of events in these books. So, this morning I reread these books in The Reese Chronological Bible. Whoa, what a great experience. The Restoration makes so much sense, especially the involvement of the Prophets in the historical events.

It's going to be a good day....

The Book Of Esther

Esther 2
17 And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.

I just do not understand the Book of Esther.  Maybe it contains a message for Jews only and not for Christians.

Forgive Us Our Debts

Deuteronomy 15
1 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release
2 And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD's release.
3 Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release;

Matthew 6
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

Being a Christian requires caring, supportive dealings with other Christians. Dealing with non-Christians - we can be a little less caring, and maybe a little less supportive. Jesus is watching out for you, so, you watch out for your fellow Christian....

Huh?

The Will Of God

Deuteronomy 30
11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off.
16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

God's will, it really is so simple, and it's right there, in front of us. Yes, but we have so much time on our hands, and so many excuses....

War With The Lamb

Isaiah 2
13 And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

This is a verse about kings, nobles, princes, governors of provinces and their war with the Lamb....

More From Isaiah 2
17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
18 And the idols he shall utterly abolish.

Something I've noticed about trying to understand the Bible: much of the content needed to understand the simple, plain meaning of many passages exist only outside the Bible. Such information usually includes Hebrew history, interpretation, culture and customs. For this passage, I read it a number of time and knew, this is one of those passages I would never figure out without some help.

For help, I usually refer to John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. And, with that comes information from theTargum, Jarchi (Rashi), Kimchi, Maimonides and Aben Ezra. Google John Gill, for the story of how he came to possess such a great repository of Hebrew knowledge.

Politics

Micah 6
8 He hath shewed thee O man, what is good: and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly,and to love mercy,and to walk humbly with thy God?

I've been thinking about one of my favorite Bible themes.

In this day and age, it seems to me that you cannot exress any thoughts about politics and still be humble. It just seems to me that political discourse is over-heated, with a notable lack of humble expression.

Question. Does politics matter? To a Christian?

The LORD Is A Man Of War

Exodus 14
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.
31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.
1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

The Lord is my salvation. Love the Lord. Fear the Lord. Glorify the Lord. Your deepest feelings and understanding of God, to me, are the same in the Old Testament and the New Testament. It applies to the God of the Jews, the God of the Christians and to Jesus Christ.

God is not your buddy, he's not your pal, he's not your co-pilot...

KJV and Inerrancy and Harmony

Hebrews 1
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Timothy 3
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

Thought On The Bible From A. C. Gaebelein, 1907:
The harmony which exists throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is one of the strongest arguments for the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures. The unity which we find here is supernatural; it is divine. The inspired writers of the Bible cover a period of almost two thousand years, living in so many different ages and under different circumstances, yet all agree perfectly, and there is no clash of opinions. Such unity is a miracle. No human genius could produce it. There is nothing like it in all the literary products of men, and there will be nothing like it in the future. God spake at sundry times and in divers manners (Heb. 1: 1), and therefore all in this precious Book being God-breathed (2 Tim. 3 :16), must be a perfect, infallible whole. What an awful sin to criticise the Bible, to deny its inspiration, to put the Word of God which He has exalted above all His Name upon the same level with profane literature. Yet this is the common drift of our times.

I guess we should let Gaebelein have the final word on the Bible. 

Mystery Of Godliness Is Jesus

1 Timothy 3
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

The mystery of godliness is Jesus. And, this outlines his existance....

The Church

1 John 3
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

Love for the brethren goes along with love of God. And, love of God is life. It is the turning away from sin and eternal death. This is not necessarily about salvation. This passage is about the church.

And how many churches can meet this standard....

That Is One, Useless Christian

Philemon 1
10 I beseech thee for my son Ones'imus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
11 which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

Quote of the day: 'Boy......That is one, useless Christian.'

The Poor

Deuteronomy 24
19 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow: that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hands.
20 When thou beatest thine olive tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
21 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it afterward: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
22 And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Be kind to the poor. Remember. You were a bondman once - or, at least, your great grandfather was.....

Matthew 6....forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.....

Out of the Iron Furnace

Deuteronomy 4
20 But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace....

What a great, profound description of life without God.

Prayer
Dear Jesus, take me out of the iron furnace....and, please Jesus, keep me out of the iron furnace....

Prayer For The Caregivers

Deuteronomy 27
16 Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Proverbs 30
17 The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

May God have mercy on those taking care of parents who are suffering from the later stages of alzheimers disease.

The Great And Terrible God

Nehemiah 1
5 ....I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night......

I think this is just the most wonderful way to begin a prayer.....

Strange Wives, Idolatrous Wives

Ezra 10
10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel.
11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives.
44 All these had taken strange wives: and some of them had wives by whom they had children.
How painful this, God's, requirement must have been for at least some of the affected families. You can almost see the painful look on the men's faces as they listen to the nightime cries of their idolatrous wives and their children.

Thy will be done.

This is an important type and lesson for at least some of us.....poor sinners. How painful it can be to separate ones self from modern day idolatries.

This is the painful and important lesson for the day.....

Concupiscence

1 Thessalonians 4
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:

Easton's Definition of Concupiscence:
Concupiscence: Desire, Rom 7:8 (R.V., "coveting"); Col 3:5 (R.V., "desire"). The "lust of concupiscence" (Th1 4:5; R.V., "passion of lust") denotes evil desire, indwelling sin.

A lurking danger that must always be guarded against....

A Wistful Look Back

Deuteronomy 21
10 When thou goest forth to war against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God hath delivered them into thine hands, and thou hast taken them captive,
11 And seest among the captives a beautiful woman, and hast a desire unto her, that thou wouldest have her to thy wife;
12 Then thou shalt bring her home to thine house, and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
13 And she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thine house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month: and after that thou shalt go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not make merchandise of her, because thou hast humbled her.

From John Gill's Exposition Of The Entire Bible:
The plain meaning is, that when a Jewish soldier was passionately in love with a captive, and was desirous of making her his wife, he was to take her home to his house, where she was to remain, to see whether his passion of love would subside, or the woman become a proselyte, or however till certain rites were observed, and then he was permitted to marry her:

A Wistful Look Back
This passage is about proper behavior for Hebrew soldiers. My initial reaction to this passage was a question. Where is the edification? Two other questions came to mind. Does every single Bible passage have a message for us? What message does this one have?

Even with John Gill's help, I have no answers today.

I did receive an odd blessing from this passage. I was an American soldier in a foreign country - quite a few years ago. And, studying this passage did give me the opportunity to look back - wistfully - on my overseas experiences.

The Law of the Offerings

Leviticus 6
12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.

Galatians 5
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

God wants us to live by the fruits - all day, every day, all year, every year.

Poisonous Rye

Matthew 13
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
38 the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

The saving grace of Jesus Christ and the profound comfort that comes it - it is hard to comprehend in the face of this parable. I can smell the burning flesh - of this burnt offering.

And yet....I pray, peacefully....with blessd assurance....

Prayers From The Grave

Psalm 88
11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

Sometimes I pray in the subway, on my way to work. I wonder if God hears my prayers down there?

Pillar of the Cloud - Comfort

Exodus 14

19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:
20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night.

Comfort from the Lord.....comes in odd ways, when you need it the most.

Suffering Christians

1 Thessalonians 3
4 For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

Christians should expect to suffer for Christ.....I guess? I've seen very few Christians who have suffered for Christ. Mostly, being Christian provides incredible benefits - temporal and spiritual benefits.

Afflictions

2 Timothy 1
8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;

Definition of Afflictions From Easton:
Common to all (Job 5:7; Job 14:1; Psa 34:19); are for the good of men (Jam 1:2, Jam 1:3, Jam 1:12; Co2 12:7) and the glory of God (Co2 12:7; Pe1 4:14), and are to be borne with patience by the Lord's people (Psa 94:12; Pro 3:12). They are all directed by God (Lam 3:33), and will result in the everlasting good of his people (Co2 4:16) in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:35)

For the most part, life is not a whole lot of  fun.

Hymns

Psalms 81
1 Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.
2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.
3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.
4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.

God loves our gospel music. It's the law. I think maybe this passage refers to worship - not specifically hymns.

Fire

Leviticus 2
3 And he shall offer of the sacrifice of the peace offering an offering made by fire unto the LORD; the fat that covereth the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
4 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away.
5 And Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar upon the burnt sacrifice, which is upon the wood that is on the fire: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.

Matthew 13
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Fire in old testament was for burnt offenings. In the New Testament, fire is for the unsaved.

Humility

41 Mark 9
37 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me; and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me..

From John Gill's Exposition Of The Entire Bible
Whosoever shall receive one of such children....That is, any believer, who is like to such a child for humility, meekness, and lowliness of mind;
in my name.....on account that he belongs to Christ, is one of his, bears his image, partakes of his grace, is loved by him, and shall be glorified with him: such is Christ's great regard to his humble followers, that he takes it all one as if done to himself:

This is my Bible Passage for the day....

Longsuffering

Galatians 5
22 ...longsuffering...

Jesus, thank you for tempering my longsuffering with the comfort that comes from your saving grace, from your sacrifice on the cross at Calvary...

Soul Liberty

Psalm 119
45 And I will walk at liberty,....

Frow John Gill's Exposition Of The Entire Bible:
Not in licentious way, but in Gospel liberty, under the influence of the free spirit; where is liberty, in the exercise of grace and discharge of duty. Or, "I will walk at large" {g}; or, "in a broad way," as Aben Ezra and Kimchi supply it: not in the broad road that leads to destruction, but in the law of God, which is exceeding broad, Psalm 119:96; as the Targum, "in the breadth of the law." So a man walks when he walks in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord: and who also may be said to walk at large when delivered out of straits and difficulties; when he is brought into a large place, and his steps are enlarged under him; and having his heart enlarged with the love of God, and fear.

This, to me, is a reasonable explanation of 'Soul Liberty.'

Selah

Psalms 81
7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

Definition Of Selah From Easton
A word frequently found in the Book of Psalms, and also in Hab 3:9, Hab 3:13, about seventy-four times in all in Scripture. Its meaning is doubtful. Some interpret it as meaning "silence" or "pause;" others, "end," "a louder strain," "piano," etc. .

To me it ususlly means 'Hallelujah, Praise the Lord.' But it's not always good substitution.

Unprofitable Servant

Matthew 25
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I wonder if they also serve who only stand and wait?

Maybe not.

Gluttony

Proverbs 23
20 Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

God wrote this passage especially for me. I was, at one time, a winebibber. I am still riotously eating flesh.

The Little Ones of Heshbon

Deuteronomy 2
32 Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.
33 And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.
34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:
35 Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.

Moses kills the little children of Heshbon.

Luke 17
2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

It is this type of contrast that suggests the reasonableness of  a dispensational view of the Bible.

The Will of God From Exodus

Exodus 33
13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

I pray every day for God to shew me His way....and to give me rest....

Separation (And Revelry)

John 17
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Romans 13
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.

From The Statement of Faith Of The Anchor Baptist Church, Pisgah Forest, North Carolina:
Separation - We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Saviour and Lord; that our conduct, dress, and speech should be of the highest standards to avoid offending others around us, and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God.

Over the years, my views of this doctrine have changed. My current view is this: Separation not is something that you think about, or work at or struggle with. Separation is something that just happens to you as you walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work (Colossians). Oh yeah, over the years, revelry was the sin I struggled with most. Now, I'm too old to revel....

Ezekiel's Dry Bones And Jesus' Spirits In Prison

Ezekiel 37
1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones,
2 and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.

1 Peter 3
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

The comparison of these two passages are good grist for meditation on reprobation....

Severed Heads

Numbers 25
1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
3 And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel.
4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel.
5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined unto Baalpeor.

Here we see God's fierce Old Testament anger.

Matthew 5
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

But here....

Psalms 37
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth;
and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

....we see the saved, filled with the spirit, calmly accepting God's sovereign grace, in all its manifestations....

Definition Of Manifestation From Webster's 1828 Dictionary:
MANIFESTA'TION, n. The act of disclosing what is secret, unseen or obscure; discovery to the eye or to the understanding; the exhibition of any thing by clear evidence; display; as the manifestation of God's power in creation, or of his benevolence in redemption.

May the Lord Bless You and Keep You

Numbers 6
22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

The church I went to as a child used this passage as the weekly benediction. It is etched in my mind. I never get tired of rereading it. What more can we ask for from the Lord?

The Twelve Stones Taken From The Jordan

Joshua 6 -
6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?
7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

The twelve stones, representing twelve tribes, memorialize an important moment in history. The Hebrew tribes, chosen and purified, enter the promise land. Compare this to Moses, at the end of his life on Mount Nebo; another great moment. The end of Deuteronomy and the book of Joshua lay out a time of such promise - we almost forget the nature and ways of man that, for the Hebrews, ended up in captivity......

Old Testament Brutality

Deuteronomy 3
3 So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining.
4 And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.
5 All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many.
6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children, of every city.
7 But all the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves.

Like an ancient, Biblical genocide....I really have trouble with the Old Testament brutality of Moses and Joshua....Then again, all sinners, in the end, are destined to a fiery eternal hell........

John and Church

1 John 4
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.

Radio Christians. TV Christians. Christians between churches. Bible believing Christians not currently members of a church. These are my guys. Reading John, though, I think maybe I underestimate the importance of church membership - and knowing and loving the bretheren.

Biblical Brutality

1 Kings 18
37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.
40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

Matthew 25
30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

I am struck by Old Testament and New Testament brutality. But, then again, we know that life is, at times, harsh.

Baptist Acronym

I like looking at statements of faith, confessions, creeds, lists of denominational distinctives. These types of documents show how groups organize their beliefs into a comprehensible whole. Fascinating. And there are a lot of great stories about how these documents come to be. I particularly like this list of distinctives:

B Biblical authority
A Autonomy of the local church
P Priesthood of the believer
T Two ordinances (Believer's Baptism and Communion)
I Individual soul liberty
S Separation of Church and State
T Two offices of the church (Pastor and Deacon)

Things I'm Not Necessarily Against....

....but definitely not interested in....

Arminianism
Antinomianism
Previent Grace
Entire Sanctification
Papal Infallability
Icons
Crosses
Speeking In Tongues
Intelligent Design
Purpose-driven Anything

2 Timothy 2
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

WWTD

Acts 16
3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.

WWJD? Climb up on the cross, and die for the sins of man. It seems to me to be an inappropriate question to ask.

WWT(imothy)D? Much better question.

Sins of the Father

Lamentations 5
7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.

From Commentary By Jamison, Fawcett, and Brown:
"borne their iniquities" -- that is, the punishment of them. The accumulated sins of our fathers from age to age, as well as our own, are visited on us. They say this as a plea why God should pity them.

It is amazing how our fates are intertwined with the fates of our fathers. Our personality, our ethnicity, our race, our economic status, our religion. Somehow, much of what we received from are fathers is good. And, maybe, most the the iniquities we inherit, we inherit not from our fathers but from Adam.

Maimonides and The Word

Deuteronomy 32
44 And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun.
45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:
46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

Here are the traditional 13 principles of the Jewish faith set forth by Maimonides. This is our Judeo-Christian heritage and is wonderful grist for Christian meditation.

o Existence of God. God is the creator and ruler of all things. He alone has made, makes, and will make all things.
o God's unity. God is one. There is no unity that is in any way like His. He alone is God. He was, He is, and He will be.
o God's spirituality and incorporeality. God does not have a body. Physical concepts do not apply to Him. Nothing resembles Him at all.
o God's eternity. God is first, and He is last.
o God alone should be the object of worship. It is only proper to pray to God. One may not pray to anyone or anything else.
o Revelation through God's prophets. All the words of the prophets are true.
o Preeminence of Moses among prophets. The prophecy of Moses is true. He was the chief of all prophets, both before and after.
o God's law given at Mount Sinai. The entire Torah that we now have is that which was given to Moses.
o Immutability of the Torah as God's law. This Torah will not be changed, and that there will never be another given by God.
o God's foreknowledge of human actions. God knows all of man's deeds and thoughts, as it is written, "He has molded every heart together, He understands what each one does." (Psalms:33)
o Reward of good and retribution of evil. God rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those who transgress them.
o Coming of the Jewish messiah. However long it takes, we await his coming every day.
o Resurrection of the dead. The dead will be brought back to life when God wills it.

What Defiles

Mark 7
14 And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

The Battle
Something to think about, because our society is such an intense, toxic mix of information technology and purient deviency. But, then again, as in every age, controlling what comes out is a battle.

The King James Version

....Moses....David....Solomon....The Prophets....Ezra....Matthew....Mark....
Luke....John....Paul....Erasmus....The Masorites....Wycliffe....Tindale....Beza....James I....
The 1611 Version Translation Committees....Parris....Blayney....Bagster....

It's such an amazing story, how we came to have our Bible.

God chose me, and then He chose my Bible........

Spirits in Prison 2

1 Peter 3
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Odd Thought
Did the spirits lose their lives and their salvation? or just their lives?

Sparrows and Salvation

Luke 12
6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Comfort
As much as I, in my darker moments, fear God, I do not worry about my salvation. I always remember:

His eye is on the sparrow
and I know he watches me.

Apostasy (and Heresy)

2 Timothy 3
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

From Chafer's Systematic Theology (Vol 7)
An apostate is one who has first embraced some creed or doctrine and afterwards turned from it. Apostasy is a total departure from one's faith or religion; abandonment of creed and renunciation of religious obligation. On the other hand, heresy refers to a belief which is held in variance with standards or accepted features of doctrine.

Billy Graham And The Issue of Apostasy
I was going to write a couple of notes on Billy Graham. I read a couple of articles from Sword Of The Lord and the Way Of Life website about him. And I changed my mind about commenting on this issue. Above my pay grade. I will give some thought to how important this doctrine is in comparison to say salvation or reconciliation or justification.

The Church

Ephesians 1
12 ....We should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Learning to Love the Church
In verse 14 the Church is God's 'purchased possession,' and Christians are a peculiar people. As I read tha Bible, the church gains more importance as a doctrine. Somehow, I used to think Christianity was less about the church and more about savation.....

1 Peter 2
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

When I Need Help

Here are my sources of help in understanding the Bible:

John Gill
C. I. Scofield
Clarence Larkin
Charles Sperry Chafer
Rashi and Kimhi
Charles Ryrie (not so much)

And when I need help just getting through a day, I can usually go to the Bible without any assistance....

Spirits in Prison

1 Peter 3
17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

First Question
What were some of important points contained in the Sermon on the Mount?

Second Question
What were some of the important points made by Jesus when he preached to the Spirist in Prison?

I have spent a lot of time studying this passage. For some odd reason, studying it makes me feel closer to reality that is Jesus.

Lord Help Me Jesus

Psalm 40
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

I stumbled across this passage on a day that I really needed it.

Why me, Lord
Lord help me Jesus I've wasted it so,
Help me Jesus, You know what I am,
Now that I know that I've needed you so,
Help me Jesus my soul's in Your hands.

Jesus, My soul's in your hands....

Quickened - In A Cedar Hill, Texas, Wal Mart

John 5
21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

Definition of Quicken From Webster's 1828 Dictionary: 
1. Primarily, to make alive; to vivify; to revive or resuscitate, as from death or an inanimate state. Rom. 4.
2. To make alive in a spiritual sense; to communicate a principle of grace to.
3. To hasten; to accelerate; as, to quicken motion, speed or flight.
4. To sharpen; to give keener perception to; to stimulate; to incite; as, to quicken the appetite or taste; to quicken desires.
5. To revive; to cheer; to reinvigorate; to refresh by new supplies of comfort or grace.

And So It Began
I was quickened one afternoon, in a Cedar Hill, Texas, Wal Mart, in the 1990's. I bought a paperback NIV Bible. And that evening, for whatever reason, I read every reference to Baptism I could find. And so, my journey began....

Sins of the Father

Lamentations 5
7 Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.

Go Figure
Many pay for the sins of the father, born to difficult circumstances related to poverty, race, ethnicity. Then again, some of us receive mostly blessings from our fathers.

Amyraldism Or Four Point Calvinism

Matthew 24
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

This post is about a Calvinist theology that rejects Limited Atonement, one of Calvin's five points.

From Hodge's Systematic Theology:
According to the common doctrine of Augustinians, as expressed an the Westminster Catechism, “God, having . . . . elected some to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation by a Redeemer.” In opposition to this view some of the Reformed theologians of the seventeenth century introduced the scheme which is known in the history of theology as the doctrine of hypothetical redemption. The principal advocate of this doctrine was Amyraut (died 1664), Professor in the French Protestant Seminary at Saumur. He taught, (1.) That the motive impelling God to redeem men was benevolence, or love to men in general. (2.) From this motive He sent His Son to make the salvation of all men possible. (3.) God, in virtue of a decretum universale hypotheticum, offers salvation to all men if they believe in Christ. (4.) All men have a natural ability to repent and believe. (5.) But as this natural ability was counteracted by a moral inability, God determined to give his efficacious grace to a certain number of the human race, and thus to secure their salvation. This scheme is sometimes designated as “universalismus hypotheticus.” It was designed to take a middle ground between Augustinianism and Arminianism.

From Wikipedia, Amyraldism:
Amyraldism (or sometimes Amyraldianism, the School of Saumur, hypothetical universalism, or Post Redemptionism), also known as "hypothetical universalism" or "four-point Calvinism", primarily refers to a modified form of Calvinist theology. It rejects one of the Five points of Calvinism, the doctrine of limited atonement, in favour of an unlimited atonement similar to that of Hugo Grotius. Simply stated, Amyraldism holds that God has provided Christ's atonement for all alike, but seeing that none would believe on their own, he then elected those whom he will bring to faith in Christ, thereby preserving the Calvinist doctrine of unconditional election. Named after its formulator Moses Amyraut, this doctrine is still viewed as a variety of Calvinism in that it maintains the particularity of sovereign grace in the application of the atonement. However, detractors like B. B. Warfield have termed it "an inconsistent and therefore unstable form of Calvinism."

I am just not that sure about Limited Atonement, Calvin's fifth point.  The above quote from Hodge is kind of tortured. The Wikipedia treatment of the issue is easier to understand, but I'm not sure Wikipedia is a great source of theology.

Anyway, I still haven't made up my mind on this point of Calvinism. I have no doubts about the other four points of Calvinism. Over the years I've come to agree with them.

Hinom and Tophet

Jeremiah 24
32 Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place.
33 And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away.

Death
I'm not afraid of dying. I'm not afraid of hell. I'm sure Jesus is keeping some space for me, kind of off to the side. But, for some reason, when I read the Bible, I always mark the passages on Hinnom with my pencil...

Who Wrote This on the Second Coming?

Revelations 22
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

A Quote From Maimonides:
I believe with a full heart in the coming of the Messiah, and even though he may tarry I will still wait for him.

An Odd Blessing From Bible Study
While studying how we came to have the King James Version, I became interested in the medieval Hebrew Commentators. Some of their comments and interpretations really stick with me.

Wisdom And Knowledge - 183 Bible Doctrines

Proverbs 3
19 The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22 so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.

Chafer, in his Systematic Theology, includes a volume that concisely describes each of 183 Bible doctrines. Reading it is life changing, and overwhelming. Here's the list:

Chafer's 183 Bible Doctrines

This, I guess, is the complete list of the categories of God's wisdom and understanding. And with these doctrines we can "keep sound wisdom and discretion."

Idolatry

Ezekiel 23
1 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:
3 and they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.
4 And the names of them were Aho'lah the elder, and Ahol'ibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aho'lah, and Jerusalem Ahol'ibah.
30 I will do these things unto thee, because thou hast gone a whoring after the heathen, and because thou art polluted with their idols.

From John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible:
In this chapter the idolatries of Israel and Judah are represented under the metaphor of two harlots, and their lewdness. These harlots are described by their descent; by the place and time in which they committed their whoredoms; by their names, and which are explained.

This is a Tough Chapter
I'll pass on further quotes. A strange mix of sin, lust, idolatry. Here, Judah and Israel are the harlots. Compare to the whore of Babylon in Revelations.