Category: The Nation Israel

A Family Enterprise #2

Monday, February 5, 2024

“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger” (Jeremiah 7:18 KJV).

What is their family enterprise?

Consider the following passages that form part of the Law of Moses. “Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons; Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children” (Deuteronomy 4:9,10).

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 6:5-7).

“Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; And then the LORD’S wrath be kindled against you, and he shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield not her fruit; and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD giveth you. Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deuteronomy 11:16-19).

Re-read today’s Scripture in light of these passages. Do you see any negligence on anyone’s part? You should….

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A Family Enterprise #1

Sunday, February 4, 2024

“The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto other gods, that they may provoke me to anger” (Jeremiah 7:18 KJV).

What is their family enterprise?

The most basic unit of human civilization is marriage (which results in family, the next unit). As Genesis chapter 1 reports, “[26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. [28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

Indeed, God created us humans to be social beings: “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet [fit, suitable] for him…. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet [fit, suitable] for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (Genesis 2:18,20-22).

Families come in all sizes, shapes, and colors. What binds them can be food, religion, language, geography, finances, education, hobbies. One clever axiom adequately captures this idea: “The family that prays together, stays together.” In this case, the reference is to religion. Let us exposit today’s Scripture so as to see how the families of Judah—Israel’s southern kingdom—found clever ways to start a certain enterprise and thus greatly enrage the LORD….

Stripling

Saturday, February 3, 2024

“And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is” (1 Samuel 17:56 KJV).

What is a “stripling?”

Possibly everyone familiar with the Scriptures knows how the Philistine giant Goliath challenged Israel. The Philistines have been oppressing the Jewish people for decades, and now they are at war with King Saul. Goliath is said to be a “champion,” with a recorded height of “six cubits and a span” (verse 4). This was probably the standard cubit of 18 inches (1.5 feet, or 46 centimeters, or 0.5 yard, or 0.5 meter). A “span”—or handspan—would be the maximum distance from the tip of the outstretched thumb to the tip of the outstretched little finger. That was a half-cubit, or 9 inches (0.75 foot, or 23 centimeters, or 0.25 yard, or 0.25 meter). If we take these figures into account, we conclude Goliath stood at least 9 feet 9 inches (3.25 yards or 2.97 meters) tall!

Furthermore, Goliath’s coat of mail—his armor—weighed “five thousand shekels of brass” (verse 5). This was roughly 166 pounds (75 kilograms). The head of his spear alone weighed “six hundred shekels of iron” (verse 7), approximately 15 pounds (7 kilograms). He was an enormous man, someone whom the Philistines assumed would proudly represent them on the battlefield as he fought Israel’s best warrior. The Jewish people, even King Saul, are greatly afraid, worried, or troubled because of Goliath (verses 8-11). Young David is sent to minister to his older brothers who belong to Israel’s army. Trusting the LORD, David decides to fight Goliath. “And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth” (verse 33). By chapter’s end, however, Goliath is dead and David is victorious!

Having watched the fight from afar, King Saul wishes to know the identity of the “stripling” who has slain Goliath (today’s Scripture). This appellation is applied to a young person (see Hebrew word translated “young man” in 1 Samuel 20:22). David was likely a teenager, having a slim body, one as thin as a strip. Being an unbeliever, Saul could not understand how a “lightweight” could vanquish a “heavyweight!”

I Am Comfortable! #14

Monday, January 29, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

Indeed, we should make every reasonable attempt to impart spiritual light to as many people as we can. Yet, dear friends, we must let them continue on their destructive path if they persist. “Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone” (Hosea 4:17). Once His longtime neighbors and acquaintances purposed to kill the Lord Jesus, He departed Nazareth (Luke 4:28-31)! When He was invited to leave, He went to the opposing shore of the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:33–9:1; Mark 5:15-21; Luke 8:35-40)! “Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind…” (Matthew 15:14).

“A man that is an heretick [teacher or supporter of false doctrine, for purposes of dividing] after the first and second admonition [warning] reject [shun, refuse]; Knowing that he that is such is subverted [turned over, perverted], and sinneth, being condemned of himself” (Titus 3:10,11). The LORD thrice commanded the Prophet Jeremiah not to pray for his people (Jeremiah 7:16; Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11). Divine judgment against their habitual sin was on its way, and would not be avoided.

If they are comfortable—contented and free from fear—in being out of God’s will, we are comfortable with them. If they want to be lost people, we value their free will. If they wish to be ignorant Christians, we let them have their lack of knowledge. Just like King Saul’s appointment was no accident, no unbeliever goes to Hell accidentally and no Christian remains in spiritual kindergarten unwillingly. “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:17). In this world of technological advancements, the Scriptures are more accessible than ever. No one can legitimately complain, “I did not have a chance to know if there was a God or learn His will.” They are all without excuse.

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

I Am Comfortable! #13

Sunday, January 28, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

The LORD knew King Saul would ultimately be a disaster and disappointment, so He warned Israel of the hazards. Although the Jews expected Saul to conquer the oppressive Philistines (1 Samuel 8:20), the Philistines killed Saul in battle and left Israel without a king and still in captivity to the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 31:1-13)!

Likewise, Romans chapter 2 has warned those who lack perfect righteousness face a precarious future: “[5] But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; [6] Who will render to every man according to his deeds:…. [8] But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, [9] Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;….”

When people refuse to acknowledge their sin problem, they are telling God they are just as good as Jesus Christ is, that they can replace His life with their own efforts. If they want to depend on their self-righteousness (as in Romans 10:1-3), He will let them do so—but their fate will be indignation, wrath, tribulation, and anguish. His justice demands His righteousness be enforced, so those without His righteousness must suffer the punishment their own “goodness” and efforts produce.

Second Thessalonians chapter 1: “[7] And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, [8] In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: [9] Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;….”

It is therefore not (!) God’s (!) fault (!) when people choose to go to Hell….

I Am Comfortable! #12

Saturday, January 27, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

As Israel rejected the LORD in favor of a human king, the LORD had Samuel give them their way! “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee…. Now therefore hearken unto their voice…” (1 Samuel 8:7,9). The LORD warned them about the ensuing dangers of their poor decision to have a king (verses 10-18), but they did not wish to listen to reason. God replied, “Samuel, let them have their way!”

“[18] And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. [19] Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; [20] That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. [21] And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD. [22] And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.”

People today constantly commit ancient Israel’s sin. They ignore the LORD God and His Word. What they have determined to think and do, they will think and do… no matter what. They aim to create a mindset and a life apart from His will because rationalism—human intellect—is their god. It is no accident. They do not want to hear about the dangers or consequences of their sin, but God has already made it quite clear as to the fate of people who die without His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as personal Saviour….

I Am Comfortable! #11

Friday, January 26, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

Once Israel recognized how the LORD’S Prophet-Judge Samuel was aging and getting closer to death, and how his sons (successors) were so wicked, the Jewish people decided to presumptuously appoint a new leader. First Samuel 8:5-10 describes one of the most awful situations in the entire Bible.

“And [Israel’s elders] said unto him [Samuel], Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.”

Israel’s transgressions were three-fold. Firstly, they never consulted the LORD about Samuel’s replacement. They simply chose a solution themselves. Secondly, they wanted “to be like everyone else”—when God explicitly told them time and time again they were separate and distinct from the Gentile nations around them. Thirdly, they rejected the LORD as their ultimate King. Read verses 11-18, the LORD through Samuel outlining for Israel the disadvantages of a monarchy (human king). Let us see what Israel will choose….

I Am Comfortable! #7

Monday, January 22, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

Once the LORD God “gave up… gave up… gave over” (Romans 1:18-32) the Gentiles or nations to “walk in their own ways” (Acts 14:14-17) and undergo spiritual “ignorance” (Acts 17:22-30) at the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9), He isolated the nation Israel unto His purposes beginning in Genesis chapter 12. One of the rights or privileges of Israel in “time past” was their exclusive receipt of God’s direct revelation in the form of the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 4:1-8; Psalm 147:19,20; Romans 2:17-20; Romans 3:1,2; Romans 9:4,5). In stark contrast, the Gentiles or nations were worshipping and serving the Devil (Ephesians 2:1-3,11,12; Ephesians 4:17-19)!

Confronting Israel’s religious “authorities” a year after Calvary in Acts chapter 7, the Holy Spirit preached through Stephen to review their national history of unbelief. Read verses 39-43: “To whom [Moses] our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven [celestial bodies, such as stars and planets]; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them: and I will carry you away beyond Babylon.”

To wit, with Israel preferring life without the LORD, like He dealt with the willful Gentiles, the LORD handed Israel over to those same worthless idols….

I Am Comfortable! #5

Saturday, January 20, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

The Holy Ghost, filling the Prophet Stephen, addressed apostate Israel’s religious leaders: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it” (Acts 7:51-53). Christ’s crucifixion was the culmination of several centuries of unbelief in Israel.

In response to the Lord Jesus Christ’s rejection during the Books of Matthew through John, He pronounced an extremely solemn warning: “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive” (John 5:43). With Israel snubbing the genuine Messiah, they automatically set themselves up to accept the counterfeit Messiah (also known as the Antichrist). In short, denying the truth meant taking in the lie.

Commenting on this pitiful situation which has yet to be, the Holy Spirit wrote through Paul: “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). It was what they wanted, and God will make certain they get it!

Again, we are free moral agents—neither robots nor machines. We can exercise our volition (free will) to make good choices or bad choices….

NOTE: Happy 44th Spiritual Birthday to My Mom, who will no doubt read this!

I Am Comfortable! #4

Friday, January 19, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

As Christ commissioned His 12 Apostles, He ordered in Matthew chapter 10: “[14] And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. [15] Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.” The shaking off the dust of the feet (cf. Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5; Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51) was a Jewish custom, especially amongst the Pharisees.

When a Jew was returning to the land of Palestine from a foreign trip, he would stop at the border and shake his sandals to remove the soil collected from the (neighboring) Gentile lands. It was a sign of disgust, as in, “This unclean Gentile dirt is not coming into my holy neighborhood!” Christ had His Apostles shake the dust so as to signal to unbelieving Israel, “In God’s sight, you are no different from the pagan Gentiles!” In Paul’s case, we know he carried out the behavior after apostate Israel strongly opposed his preaching in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:45-52).

Moreover, when Paul was speaking to the so-called Gentile “intellectuals” in Athens, they negatively reacted to God’s words, so Paul left them in their heathen darkness: “Because he [Father God] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man [Jesus Christ] whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them” (Acts 17:31-33).

God’s attitude is simple: if they want ignorance, let them have it! Let us see what else the Scriptures say….