Category: The Nation Israel

Two Hungry Men! #3

Thursday, March 23, 2023

“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry” (Mark 11:12 KJV).

Who is this hungry man? Who else is a hungry man in the Bible? What exactly has caused their hunger?

Luke chapter 13 explains why the Lord cursed the fig tree: “[6] He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. [7] Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? [8] And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: [9] And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.”

This Parable of the Barren Fig Tree summarizes Christ’s three-year earthly ministry. Remembering again that figs symbolize religion (see Genesis 3:7, the Bible’s first mention of figs), we establish how the Lord sought spiritual fruit in Israel but found none. Despite an outward appearance of life (green leaves), there was no internal fruit to satisfy God’s hunger for faith and righteousness in the nation (re-read Matthew 21:17-20 and Mark 11:12-14,20-21). The Law of Moses, which rabbinical scholars had watered down with manmade traditions, had not produced a nation that recognized its sin problem (and thus failed to acknowledge its need for the Saviour). The Old Covenant system was faulty—not because anything was wrong with it but because it could not impart life to sinners who had the problem (Jeremiah 31:32; Romans 7:12; Galatians 2:21; Galatians 3:19-24; Hebrews 8:7-13; et al.).

Coming into the early Acts period, the one-year extension of mercy given to Israel following Christ’s three years of earthly ministry (see Luke 13:8), we see the 12 Apostles (Matthias replacing Judas Iscariot) laboring under the power of the Holy Spirit to preach and therefore convert Israel to the Lord Jesus Christ. There is more unbelief and self-righteousness. Those first seven chapters of Acts ended with apostate Israel murdering Stephen, God’s prophet to the nation’s leaders. In chapter 10, Peter (or rather the Holy Spirit through Peter) now hungers for spiritual fruit in Israel….

Two Hungry Men! #2

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry” (Mark 11:12 KJV).

Who is this hungry man? Who else is a hungry man in the Bible? What exactly has caused their hunger?

The Lord’s cursing of the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-20; Mark 11:12-14,20,21) is frequently misunderstood as nothing more than a petty tantrum thrown in response to a tree’s barrenness and Jesus’ unsatisfied appetite. However, if we set aside such childish thinking, we will better grasp why this event took place and was even recorded as part of the Holy Bible.

Read today’s Scripture in a fuller context: “[12] And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: [13] And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. [14] And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. [15] And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; [16] And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. [17] And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. [18] And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. [19] And when even was come, he went out of the city.” (You can also read Matthew’s account, Matthew 21:12-20, which is non-chronological.)

In conjunction with condemning the Jerusalem Temple as “a den of thieves,” Christ cursed the fig tree. Figs in the Bible denote religion (for example, see Adam and Eve’s feeble “solution” to their sin problem in Genesis 3:7). The Lord Jesus condemns Israel’s religion as corrupt and unfruitful, which the fig tree represents….

Two Hungry Men! #1

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

“And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry” (Mark 11:12 KJV).

Who is this hungry man? Who else is a hungry man in the Bible? What exactly has caused their hunger?

Read today’s Scripture in context, chapter 11 of Mark: “[12] And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: [13] And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. [14] And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it…. [20] And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. [21] And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.” Of course, the “hungry man” of today’s Scripture is Christ Jesus Himself.

Observe the analogous passage in Matthew chapter 21: “[18] Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. [19] And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. [20] And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away!” Again, we see that the Lord Jesus hungers—His humanity is in full view once more.

The other “hungry man” in the Scriptures is found in chapter 10 of Acts: “[9] On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: [10] And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,….” Here is the Apostle Peter, and he, like Christ, is hungry. Why do they both hunger, and why would the Holy Spirit bother to put it into the Bible record? Let us search the Scriptures for the fascinating answer….

Give Me Another Day to Think About It

Monday, March 20, 2023

“The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity” (Psalm 94:11 KJV).

Dear friends, are we so silly as to want another day to think about more folly?

Once, a police officer patrolling his neighborhood noticed a prostitute hobbling on crutches and wearing a conspicuous cast on her leg. He stopped his car and began talking with her. She explained how one of her “clients” had recently shot her in the foot and disabled her. In fact, she refused to name the perpetrator so the police could arrest him, fearing he would have her “coworkers” retaliate. At this point, the officer asked her if she wanted to leave her line of work and find a more respectable job. She hesitated and then replied, “Give me another day to think about it.” What ultimately happened to that poor woman is unknown.

As sinners, we engage in self-destructive behavior because it is fun. That woman working the streets was having a “good time,” and she was making a lot of money in the process, but her profession was indecent, hazardous, and even life-threatening. She wanted to wallow in sin just a little longer—knowing full well she was not acting in her best interests. There is pleasure in sin for a season, Hebrews 11:25 tells us. Read today’s Scripture in context (all of Psalm 94). The wicked are persecuting Israel’s believing remnant during Daniel’s 70th Week. With the Antichrist in office, crime abounds and no one is there to deliver the righteous. The saints suffer while the evildoers prosper; the evildoers believe they can continue in their sin and not reap the bitter consequences (see their empty thoughts in today’s Scripture).

The Psalmist asks God to “shew thyself” and take vengeance (verse 1). Here is one of the many “imprecatory psalms” of Scripture, the believers praying for the LORD to punish sinners and rescue saints. Psalm 94 summarizes the Second Coming of Christ, when He deals with such sinners in wrath (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9). If we are sinners without Jesus Christ today, may we come to Him by faith in His finished crosswork as sufficient payment for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3,4), while we still have opportunity. May we not say, “give me another day to think about it!”

Two Obscure Parents

Sunday, March 19, 2023

“By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment” (Hebrews 11:23 KJV).

Dear friend, would you be able to name Moses’ parents?

The writer of the Book of Hebrews lists nearly 20 saints by name in the eleventh chapter (the context of today’s Scripture). However, the Holy Spirit did not move him to identify Moses’ parents. Who were they? What could account for this omission?

Let us consult the familiar, original passage of Exodus 2:1,2: “And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months.” Again, neither Moses’ father nor mother is named. Moses himself, writing Exodus, withheld their identities.

If we make our way through the Book of Exodus, we eventually arrive at chapter 6, verse 20, and we make a striking observation here: “And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years.” If we move over to Numbers, chapter 26 and verse 59, it is confirmed: “And the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, the daughter of Levi, whom her mother bare to Levi in Egypt: and she bare unto Amram Aaron and Moses, and Miriam their sister.”

These two verses supply us with their names, but this is simply in the context of genealogical records. Regarding their actual sparing of Moses, they are unknown in Hebrews 11:23, Exodus 2:1-2, and even Acts 7:20 (“In which time Moses was born, and was exceeding fair, and nourished up in his father’s house three months:”). One obvious reason is it did not really matter what their names were. What was more important was their faith (today’s Scripture). It was not so much what they did, but what the Lord did in and through them. God knew their names. While He ultimately did reveal them in the Bible record later on, He kept their names a secret again as we move toward the end (Acts and Hebrews).

I Have Finished the Work! #4

Monday, March 13, 2023

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4 KJV).

Could we say this at the end of our life, at the conclusion of our ministry?

Doubtless, today’s Scripture summarizes the best human life ever lived: it was the life of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. There was never any sin, and never any chance of sin. What Father God had sent Him to do, He did it without fail and without hesitation (Isaiah 42:1; Matthew 3:17; Matthew 12:18; John 8:29).

Firstly, He faithfully gave His Father’s words to a believing remnant in Israel, manifesting all that the Father is and does (see John 17:6,8,14,26). By the time of today’s Scripture, that work was finished. He had one final task to accomplish. Secondly, on Calvary’s cross, He faithfully gave up His life: “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30). That too was now completed, and note well Hebrews 10:4-14, recalling this as the fulfillment of Psalm 40:6-8.

Re-read today’s Scripture: “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” When this earthly life is over, could we honestly say those words with our Lord? Did we glorify Father God on the Earth? Did we finish His work which He gave us to do? Were we walking by faith in His words to us, the Pauline epistles of Romans through Philemon? Of course, for us, it would not be 100% as it was for Christ. For a great many of us, we could say nothing more than, “I glorified thee on the earth a little here, and a little there, but it was not much.” Maybe it would be 50%, or even as low as 1%! We let religious tradition and philosophy interfere with our spiritual growth, we refused personal Bible study, and we allowed sin to master us.

In order to maximize that percentage, we need to pay attention to certain Scriptures and apply them to life by faith in the heart while we still have time to make things right….

I Have Finished the Work! #3

Sunday, March 12, 2023

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4 KJV).

Could we say this at the end of our life, at the conclusion of our ministry?

In his farewell epistle, the Apostle Peter wrote to Israel’s believing remnant: “[12] Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. [13] Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle [physical body], to stir you up by putting you in remembrance; [14] Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. [15] Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance” (2 Peter chapter 1). Peter knew he was soon to leave this life, but the Holy Spirit would not let him depart until he penned this second and final Bible Book that bears his name. He still had something to teach these saints (and he did it throughout these three chapters)!

The Apostle Paul, penning his farewell epistle to the Church the Body of Christ, remarked: “[6] For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. [7] I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: [8] Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing” (2 Timothy chapter 4). Paul was aware that his parting was near, yet the Holy Spirit would continue to use him to complete the Bible with this last Book, and then he could move on.

Both Peter and Paul left this world only when they had written their last words and preached their final sermons. They had brought saints to a place of doctrinal maturity, as the Lord Jesus Christ had taught them (these Apostles), so they trained others. We can learn much from this….

I Have Finished the Work! #2

Saturday, March 11, 2023

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4 KJV).

Could we say this at the end of our life, at the conclusion of our ministry?

For three years, Christ Jesus was the Spokesman for the triune Godhead (Trinity). During that time, He manifested the life and words of Father God to the nation Israel, especially the Little Flock (believing remnant): “[7] If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. [8] Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. [9] Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? [10] Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. [11] Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (John chapter 14).

“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. 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 7:16,17). “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him” (John 8:28,29).

At the head of that Little Flock were the 12 Apostles, whom Christ had trained in His Father’s words (check John 17:6,8,14,26 and notice verse 12). Now, those men in their own ministry were to teach the same words to others….

I Have Finished the Work! #1

Friday, March 10, 2023

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4 KJV).

Could we say this at the end of our life, at the conclusion of our ministry?

The true “Lord’s Prayer” is not in Matthew chapter 6 or Luke chapter 11, but John chapter 17. Here, in the Gospel Record of John alone, we are afforded the privilege of peering into the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ—what He is thinking and feeling as He now talks to Father God in the hours leading up to Calvary’s cruel cross. He is reflecting on the last three years… and what is in store in the future based on that finished work.

When we reach the close of this earthly sojourn, will we be able to honestly say to Father God, “I have glorified thee on the earth?” Would we in our lifetimes have said and shown all we could have stated and displayed about Him, what He values and what He works? The perfect Son of God did just that, and He explains it as, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” To “glorify” God on the Earth is to complete the work that He gave us to do.

Continue reading in John chapter 17: “[6] I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word…. [8] For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me…. [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…. [26] And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

The above verses prove Christ’s ministry was finished in that He had delivered to His disciples all the words intended for them….

333’s 4300th – We Want More Light!

Thursday, March 9, 2023

“Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him” (Acts 8:29-31 KJV).

Dear friends and saints, we have reached devotional #4300 today!

Indeed, we do not have all the answers. If we did, we would be God. However, the Bible has all the answers we need—not all we want, but all we need. The Holy Spirit could have given us a record of everything in minute detail—all that God thinks and does and all that man thinks and does—but the Bible would not be mobile. We would never reach the end, and would never be able to read everything in it. In this world of darkness, what God has revealed to us is usually ignored anyway.

Long ago, I often came across the television program of a certain preacher. His theology was greatly perverted—he actually seemed to be an unsaved man—but even liars tell an occasional truth. He said how it always pleased God when we opened our Bible and read it. I disagreed with 99.9% of his statements, but he was right about that. Furthermore, if we are receptive to the spiritual light that we have, the Holy Spirit will provide more light.

The Ethiopian eunuch of today’s Scripture was reading his copy of Isaiah, but could not make sense of it. Nevertheless, since he was a sincere seeker of the truth, the Holy Spirit sent the Evangelist Philip to teach him about Jesus Christ (read verses 26-39). In chapter 10, Cornelius was another lost man, but he was walking in the light that he had, so the Holy Spirit sent the Apostle Peter to teach him about Jesus Christ (verses 1-48). The God of the Bible sent the Apostle Paul to teach us Gentiles about Jesus Christ (Acts 26:16-18; Romans 11:13; Ephesians 3:1-11). We with open hearts (hopefully!) are still learning to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). By God’s grace, we have done this now for 4,300 days—so let us keep on keeping on!

Onward to devotional #4400! 🙂